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MEMOIR 



OF THE 



REV. C. H. 0. COTE, M. D. 



WITH 



51 fflmm nf $rs. %. ^. Cub, 



AN I* A HISTORY OF 



THE GRANDE LIGNE MISSION, 
CANADA EAST. 



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BY THE REV. N. CYR. 



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IMjilnhlpIp : 



AMERICAN BAPTIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY, 

118 ARCH STREET. 






ADVERTISEMENT. 



The Memoir of Dr. Cote, and the History of the Grande 
Ligne Mission, were both prepared by the Rev. N. Cyr of that 
Mission, at the request of the American Baptist Publication 
Society. Several additions have been made to both, by the 
Editorial Secretary, for which Mr. Cyr is not responsible. 
They will be found chiefly in the latter part of the two works, 
particularly in the concluding reflections of the Memoir, and 
the events of the last year in the History of the Mission, 
which the Society was anxious to have brought up to the 
present stage of its prosperous progress. 

No Evangelical Mission of modern times, it appears to us 
has been from the beginning to the present moment, more 
distinctly marked by the blessing of God. It has indeed 
been emphatically a "work of faith and labor of love" — carried 
on with "the patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." The 
little grain of mustard seed, growing rapidly to a majestic 
tree, with hundreds gathered beneath its refreshing shade, 
and grateful melody on all its boughs, is truly its fitting 
emblem. When we see a feeble woman, and she a widow— 
self-exiled from her native land, — opening a school among an 
ignorant and bigoted population in a small garret — with but 
one friend and fellow-laborer near for counsel and support — 
and then behold the glorious results — we seem to hear a voice 
saying as of old, " Not by might, nor by power, but by my 
Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." The whole history is full of 
instruction — especially to those who wish to do good to a 
Roman Catholic population. 

For the Memoir of Mrs. Cote, the Editorial Secretary is 
alone responsible. 






CONTENTS. 



Memoir of Dr. Cote. 

pagb 
CHAPTER I. 

Dr. Cote's Birth, Education, and Political Life, 7 

CHAPTER II. 

Religious Sentiments before Conversion, 11 

CHAPTER III. 
Dr. Cote's Conversion, 15 

CHAPTER IV. 

Consistency. Public Profession of Religion, . 22 

CHAPTER V. 
His Labors at Chazy, and his Missionary Ex- 
cursions, 28 

CHAPTER VI. 
Persecutions at St. Pie, 33 

CHAPTER VII. 

Sickness, and Voyage to the South, . .37 

3 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



His Ordination. Subsequent Labors at St. Pie. 
Interesting Cases. Visits to the United 
States, 40 



CHAPTER IX. 

His Labors at St. Mary, near Fort George, 



55 



CHAPTER X. 




His Last Illness, and Death, . 


59 


CONCLUSION, . 


64 


Memoir of Mrs. Cote, 


75 


History of the Grande Ligne Mission, 


93 


Section I 


, 94 


II 


99 


III. 


103 


IV. ...... 


, 110 


V 


. 113 


VI 


, 115 


VII . 


. 119 


VIII. 


, 122 


IX. • .... 


, 125 


X. 


130 


Conclusion, •••••• 


. 133 


Appendix, 


139 



Memoir tf Jim. C. ft <£>. Cnfe. 



MEMOIR. 



CHAPTER I. 

DR. COTE'S BIRTH, EDUCATION, AND POLITICAL 

LIFE. 

The subject of this memoir was born of respect- 
able parents, of French origin, at Quebec, the old 
capital of Lower Canada, in the year 1809. His 
family, three years after his birth, removed to 
Montreal, where their son was brought up and 
educated. After having passed through the classes 
of the Roman Catholic College of that city, he 
devoted himself to the study of medicine. He 
pursued a thorough course in Canada and at the 
Medical School of the University of Vermont, 
where he also graduated, and entered, in 1831, on 
the practice of his chosen profession at L/Acadie, 
about ten miles distant from the place where the 
Grande Ligne Mission House now stands. Napier- 
ville, a neighboring village, presenting better 
advantages, he settled there two years after, where 
he resided until the memorable rebellion of 1837. 

(7) 



8 MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. , . 

Dr. Cote's ancestral family was one of those that 
had been obliged to leave Acadia (now Nova Scotia,) 
in 1755, after having been shamefully treated by 
the British rulers, and no doubt he often heard 
them relate their numerous trials and severe suffer- 
ings, and it is very likely that the narrative had 
some influence in leading him to the course he took 
in regard to the English government. The remem- 
brance of the past, and the sight of present wrongs 
done to his fellow-countrymen, inspired him with 
dislike, not to say hatred, of the colonial government. 
He began to take an active part in politics, and was 
elected member of Parliament, in 1834, for the 
county of Lacadie. He was at that period only 
twenty-four years of age. 

Seeing the conduct of the Romish clergy, and 
the support they gave to the government, he placed 
it on the same footing with the latter, and resolved 
in his heart to do his utmost to rescue his fellow 
countrymen from their ecclesiastical as well as 
political oppressors. He joined the patriot party, 
at the head of which was the well-known Papineau, 
at the time, the Speaker of the House. 

In 1837 the political agitation } became more and 
more general. Numerous public meetings were 
held during the summer, in which the Doctor took 
a very active part. He became exceedingly popular, 
and was considered by the French Canadians as one 



MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 9 

of the future liberators of his country. Serious 
troubles were brought about in the autumn by this 
agitation, but the field of the principal battles was 
at a considerable distance from Dr. Cote's residence, 
and he was not immediately concerned in them. 
However, such was his ardor in the cause, that he 
by his conduct and the bold expression of his sen- 
timents, had very decidedly assumed, in common 
with other leaders, the responsibility of these dis- 
turbances, and he was consequently obliged to flee 
for his life into the United States. A price had 
been set on his head by the Governor, and no doubt 
he would have been severely punished had he been 
arrested. 

He settled at Plattsburgh, N. Y., where a great 
many of the Canadian refugees had repaired. 
There, still possessed of the same great principles, 
feelings, and resolutions, he interested the Ameri- 
cans in favor of his fellow countrymen, and devised 
plans for their political emancipation. 

In the beginning of 1838, an attempt was made 
by the Canadians residing in the States to enter 
Canada disciplined and equipped as an army ; but 
it was opposed by the United States government, and 
failed. Dr. Cote was the principal leader of this 
expedition. 

In November of the same year, the insurrection 
broke out about Napierville. The village, and an 



10 MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 

extensive region in the vicinity, was in the power 
of the " patriots" for a time. Dr. Cote was one of 
the commanders, and decidedly the most active. 
After two battles, in which he showed himself a 
brave and able general officer, the revolutionists 
were defeated, but there were sad losses of life on 
both sides. Those who happened to be near the 
frontier were able to flee and find refuge in the 
United States. Dr. Cote was one of the number. 



CHAPTER n. 

KELIGIOUS SENTIMENTS BEFORE CONVERSION. 

From early youth Dr. Cote had perceived the 
true nature as well as the sad effects of the corrupt 
religion of Rome, and he had some time before this 
become utterly disgusted with it. Among other 
circumstances which served to open his eyes, and 
weaken his hold upon Catholicism, was the follow- 
ing. For some offence he had been ordered by his 
priest, to say so many prayers. In order to save 
time he undertook to discharge his penance while 
riding on horseback. Suddenly the horse started 
and jumped one side. The movement caused Dr. 
Cote to drop his beads. Naturally of a quick and 
irritable temperament, he fell to swearing, and 
cursed horse, beads, priest, and all. On returning 
to the village, he went to the priest, and coDfessed 
his sin, telling him, among other things, that he had 
cursed his beads. The holy man, as if horror- 
stricken, refused him absolution. Full of terror, 
for he was yet held fast by the chains of supersti- 
tion, he returned to his home and consulted his 

(ii) 



12 MEMOIR OP DR. COTE. . 

wife as to what was best to be done. After talking 
the matter over, by her advice he concluded to go 
to another priest in a neighbouring village, saying 
at the same time, if the " old fool," as he called his 
own confessor, would not absolve him, his neigh- 
bor, he thought, would. He hastened away to the 
ghostly father, told him all his sin, and even went 
so far as to confess that he had called his own 
priest an " old fool." Whether the good man was 
most affected by the sorrow of the penitent, or the 
absolution fee, we are not informed. He absolved 
him, however, thus showing that all the priests of 
Rome are not agreed as to what are and what are 
not venial offences. 

Still, like thousands of others in this country and 
Europe, he retained his outward connection with the 
Romish church. But at this time he began to hate it, 
for he saw in it a system of apparent piety which was 
really one of arrogant hypocrisy, of subtle cunning, 
or of bloody violence, according to circumstances. 
He deplored the influence of the clergy on his fellow 
countrymen, and could not think that a religion, 
whose ministers keep their people in ignorance, 
superstition, and abject misery, had emanated from 
God. He conceived of religion as a noble system, 
destined to enlighten and elevate the people ; but he 
found just the reverse in Popery. And as a natural 
consequence of confounding the religion of the 



MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 13 

Gospel with that of the Pope, he was led to Infi- 
delity; hoping to find in Deism the light he was 
seeking, to enable him to worship and serve God 
aright. Desirous of being enlightened on the sub- 
ject of religion, he commenced a correspondence 
with distinguished Deists, and read their works ; by 
which almost fatal step he was more and more con- 
firmed in their pernicious errors. He went but 
seldom to the Romish church 5 and spoke out 
frequently and fearlessly against the priests, whom 
he greatly despised. The priest of Napierville, 
offended at his bold course of conduct, and at his 
not submitting to the requirements of " mother 
church/ ' preached against him in such a manner 
that Dr. Cote, who was not more enduring than 
submissive, thought best to prosecute him. A 
lengthy and expensive law-suit ensued, which ter- 
minated, however, as in the recent case of Dr. 
Achilli and Dr. Newman, to the confusion and cost 
of the priest. 

We must not, however, conclude from the 
foregoing facts, that Dr. Cote was a decided enemy 
of the Christian religion. Indeed, he knew little 
of real Christianity. He was willing, and in 
some good degree anxious, to listen to the truth, 
in order to be able to examine and judge it under- 
standing^. It is worthy of notice here, that when 
Mr. Roussy, the first of our missionaries that 
2 



14 MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 

labored among the French Canadians, came and 
preached at Napierville, in 1836, Dr. Cote went to 
hear him ; and even paid him a visit at the house 
where he was stopping. This was certainly show- 
ing a spirit of inquiry, and more willingness to 
become acquainted with the Gospel, than is gene- 
rally met with in this country. But he was still 
far from the truth as it is in Jesus ; and far from 
God. 



CHAPTER III. 

DR. COTE'S CONVERSION.* 

It was at the beginning of the year 1841, that the 
Lord, who had preserved his life in the midst of 
battle and perils of almost every kind, drew him to 
himself with the cords of love and the bands of a 
man. A thorn had been planted in his soul. Dr. 
Cote was wretched ; he carried every where a heart 
void of hope and very unhappy, a prey to great 
internal anguish. His chequered life, blasted by 
his misfortunes, appeared to him suspended on a 
few threads, whose frailty filled him with apprehen- 
sions. Death was to him the king of terrors. In 
the midst of his sufferings he felt the need of con- 
solations, but knew not where to find them. He 
gradually discovered the insufficiency of his system 
(Deism) to impart peace, happiness, and the power 
of resisting temptation. He asked nothing of a 
religion which appeared to him only an arm of the 
civil magistrate to restrain the people, or at least 

* This chapter is taken from Mr. Roussy's correspondence 
with the Evangelical Society of New York in 18 11. 

(15) 



16 MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 

an insupportable yoke, and which was utterly inade- 
quate to their wants. He became more and more 
unhappy. Not knowing what to do to fill up the 
frightful void of his heart, he sometimes attended 
the meetings for prayer in the church at Swan ton, 
where he then resided. The sincerity and spiritual 
life which he there witnessed affected him ; it dis- 
tilled like the dew-drops upon his thirsty heart. 
The tranquillity, the peace, which he discovered in 
many, made him sometimes desire to be as one of 
them. 

His mental sufferings now became intolerable, 
and convinced that his system of philosophy had 
deceived him, he resolved to read the Bible, of 
which, alas ! he was almost totally ignorant. This 
he did in order to study our religion at its very 
fountain, the teachings of Jesus Christ and his 
apostles. Although he read the Bible with great 
prejudice, yet he was struck with the divine majesty 
which is enthroned on its pages, and with the beauty 
of its instruction. Although it. spoke to him with 
supreme authority, he disputed with it ; he reasoned; 
he compared it with the works of Deists ; but this 
divine word, mightier than any human book, sharper 
than any two-edged sword, pierced his heart; his 
soul was astonished at its searching power; he 
groaned at the sight of himself; violent doubts 
arose in his heart; he was overwhelmed with 



MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 17 

anguish and weeping. He experienced one of the 
most subtle attacks of the natural unbelief of the 
heart against the truth ; and the Wicked One who 
did not remain inactive, tempted him violently to 
abandon every religious thought. He even passed 
entire nights in this horrible anguish, without clos- 
ing his eyes, prostrate on the floor, and scarcely 
knowing where or what he was. In those moments 
he asked the Lord, in the fullness of his heart, to 
guide him in the way of truth. He read the Bible 
more assiduously ; his admiration for it increased, 
and other books were regarded with more indif- 
ference. His mental state so reacted on his body, 
that his friends perceived it, and said that he was 
becoming crazy. He would have been ashamed to 
avow the cause to them ; and he was frappy to 
escape the importunity of their questions, by accept- 
ing the invitation of a sick friend to accompany 
him to a watering-place, where he could give him- 
self with more freedom to the search after truth. 
He read with great profit a history of the Church 
by Goodrich, which completed his conviction of the 
truth of Christianity. His friend, not being a 
disciple of Jesus Christ, died at the watering-place 
in despair. Dr. Cote would fain have counselled 
and consoled him ) but he knew not what to say to 
him. This death made a profound impression upon 
his heart, filling him with solemn terror. 
2* 



18 MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 

Sometime afterward s, he heard Mr. Williamson 
of New York, preach on the words, " Believe in 
the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." 
This precious truth deeply affected his heart, which 
the grace of God had prepared like the wax, when 
it receives the imprint of the seal ; it was a ray of 
light that gave him a glimpse of the only means of 
deliverance and salvation. He bowed at the foot 
of the cross, and formed in his heart the resolution 
to be a Christian. From that time he experienced 
great consolation, and avowed his new convictions 
to his friends. He spoke of them especially to the 
Canadians, went to their houses to read the Gospel 
to them ; he assembled them that he might pray for 
and with them, and he earnestly exhorted them to 
follow the teachings of the Bible and to serve God 
more faithfully. 

Although his heart was comforted, it was not 
happy. Jesus, he feared, had not yet said to him, 
" Thy sins are forgiven thee, thy faith hath saved 
thee ; go in peace." 

" He was convinced of what he yet lacked," says 
Mr. Boussy, " and it was while visiting the dear 
family of Brissette, members of our church. The 
expression of peace which he there remarked, greatly 
impressed him ; he said that he did not possess it, 
and he knew not how to obtain it. Our friends 



MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 19 

persuaded him to write to me, assuring him that I 
would do him good. He consented, and immediately 
wrote, entreating me to come and see him. I 
received the letter and started immediately. I 
found him waiting for me. He related to me the 
change in his convictions, but I immediately per- 
ceived that he had not felt the efficacy of regene- 
rating grace, nor sufficiently comprehended the 
defilement and condemnation of sin, nor the pleni- 
tude of the love and power of the expiatory sacrifice 
of Christ, imputed to him through faith. Yet I 
blessed God from the bottom of my soul for this 
work of his grace, which had overthrown and 
removed so many obstacles, and which was about to 
glorify itself in him. On Sunday I preached twice 
to fifty Canadians. . . . The rest of the day I passed 
with Dr. Cote in visiting some of them. It was a 
day of great conflicts for him ; the tempter excited 
in him all kinds of doubts, showed him the advan- 
tages of the world and its glory, and sought to 
persuade him to return because he had already gone 
too far ' but he came off conqueror by prayer, and 
by faith in the realities of the invisible world. In 
the evening of that day, conversing with him con- 
cerning the state of sin and condemnation, and of 
the only means of salvation given him ; suddenly 
my friend burst into tears, exclaiming, with the 



20 MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 

accent of a profound conviction, " On ! what an 
abominable sinner I am in the eyes of God ! my 
past life fills me with insupportable anguish ! what 
shall I do?" Instantly we prostrated ourselves 
before God, and poured out our hearts alternately 
in fervent prayers to obtain pardon and deliverance 
from Him. I do not remember ever to have seen 
a man weep over his sins with so deep anguish, as 
did Dr. Cote that night. The morning, which found 
us still on our knees, told us to our surprise that the 
night was passed. In rising, Dr. Cote was calm 
and peaceful. At noon he was again seized with 
the same distress. We again passed many hours 
on our knees, in which we were abundantly blessed. 
We felt that we were on the steps of the throne of 
grace, and with the boldness which faith inspires I 
exclaimed, ( I will not let thee go till thou hast 
blessed me, until thou hast said to the soul of my 
friend, I am thy deliverance/ Then Dr. Cote, 
filled with the spirit of adoption, exclaimed, i Glory 
to God in the highest, peace on earth, good will to 
men/ and with fervent praises, rendered thanks to 
God, that he, a miserable and abominable sinner, 
was accepted, saved in his well-beloved Son, and 
filled with the peace of Jesus. We wept together, 
but ours were tears of gratitude, of happiness, and 
of love. All was solemn around us ; the blessing 



MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 21 

of our God was descending; our cup was filled. 
Oh ! blessed moment, to all eternity, blessed ! 
Although several months have passed since this 
happy period, these sentiments are still vivid in 
my heart; I cannot write to you the description of 
them without weeping." 



CHAPTEE IV. 

CONSISTENCY. PUBLIC PROFESSION OF RELIGION. 

Any one reading the foregoing chapter, cannot 
entertain a single doubt in regard to the reality of 
Dr. Cote's conversion ; it bears the stamp of God 
himself. We there see a man naturally proud and 
haughty, a professed Infidel, brought under the 
influence of the Spirit of God, made sensible of the 
everlasting interests of his soul, and bowed down 
to the foot of the cross, where he finds peace and 
happiness in believing, after having passed through 
those great struggles which sometimes characterise 
the new birth. Had he died then, we should have 
felt confident that his soul would have been received 
into Abraham's bosom, though we had seen no 
other proof of his change of heart. But the Lord 
granted him a few years of life, in order that he 
might show forth the praises of Him who had called 
him from nature's darkness into His marvellous 
light. And we have the pleasure of seeing him, 
from this time, engaged in spreading the knowledge 
of the blessed Redeemer among his benighted 
(22) 



MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 23 

fellow-countrymen, and doing a vast amount of 
good in this difficult but interesting missionary 
field. 

One of the prominent features of Dr. Cote's 
character was consistency, and hence sprang prose- 
lytism. When he had an idea he wanted to impart 
it immediately to others, and bring them to his 
sentiments and views. It was eminently so in 
regard to religion. He had found a treasure too 
precious for concealment ; he preached the truth as 
soon as he received it, and sought to bring souls to 
the Saviour, in whom believing, he had found 
peace. 

Mention must particularly be made here of Mrs. 
Cote, to whom he hastened to announce Jesus and 
Him crucified. The day Mr. Roussy left him to 
return to Grande Ligne, the Dr. sent to her a Bible, 
and wrote to her in Canada, where she was staying 
at that time, a remarkable letter, which must be 
inserted here almost in full : — 

" Swanton, 15th June, 1841. 
My dear, my tender Love, — 

This letter will be handed to you by Mr. Roussy, 
whom I wish you to consider as one of my good 
friends; as a special consoler that God, in his 
divine providence, has sent me to relieve me from 
the terrible anguish of my soul in consequence of 



24 MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 

the criminal life I have led in the sight of God and 
of men. rriy dear Marguerite, you cannot 
imagine what sweet consolations we experience 
when we return sincerely to Jesus, the Saviour of 
miserable sinners; when we weep bitterly over the 
sins of our life at the foot of his cross; when we 
ask him for pardon with a true and boundless con- 
fidence in his infinite mercy; when we supplicate 
our Heavenly Father to forget and blot out our 
sins, that are washed away in the precious blood of 
his Son, who died on the cross to save us all. Oh ! 
my dearly beloved friend, how unspeakably sweet 
is the close communion with our Father who is in 
heaven. You know my love for you,*and for the 
tender fruits of our union; you know there are 
no mortal beings so dear to me as you three. Oh ! 
I would, my dear friend, that your soul, which is 
so precious to me, could feel all the sweet emotions 
to which my soul has attained, since I have been so 
happy as to return unto Him whom I have so much 
offended by my past life. How I desire, my dear 
Marguerite, that you should experience all the 
enjoyments of true piety enlightened by faith in 
Jesus Christ ! You would then see and feel that 
the true religion of Christ does not consist in vain 
ceremonies that cannot be acceptable to God, but 
that it consists in sincere and simple faith in Jesus 
Christ, whose holy Gospel we cannot too much read. 



MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 25 

You would see, my sweet friend, that true religion 
does not consist in performing certain ceremonies 
and in prayers unintelligibly muttered, but that it 
consists, on the contrary, in the peace of the soul, 
which is a natural consequence of implicit faith in 
the merit of the Saviour of men. You know that 
when I abandoned the Romish church in which I 
was born, and ever since then, I have given you 
the most ample latitude in regard to liberty of 
conscience. Be assured that I will never offer you 
any violence or restraint in regard to your religious 
convictions. But in the name of God who is so 
merciful towards his children — for the sake of your 
soul, on whose eternal happiness and misery you 
should reflect seriously in this short life — for the 
sake of the sincere peace of your conscience — in the 
name of what is most sacred in this world and in 
the world to come, open your eyes and reflect sin- 
cerely. Consult the book of God, read it attentively, 
endeavor to appreciate the doctrines there taught 
by the Son of God himself in person, draw the 
conclusions in the sincerity of your heart, without 
prejudice, after having supplicated the enlightening 
influences of the Holy Spirit, and after having 
humbled yourself for all your sins at the feet of 
the Crucified. See then, and consider whether you 
are in the way of life. These are serious reasons, 
and such as should touch the heart of a Christian. 
3 



26 MEMOIR OF DR. COTS. 

Remember that you have only one soul to save or 
to lose, that the judgment of God once pronounced, 
there will be no more way open, that if we shut our 
eyes to the true religion in this world, eternal dam- 
nation must necessarily be the consequence. We 
that have loved each other so much, how painful it 
would be, my darling, to be separated on the other 
side of the grave ! Should one of us voluntarily 
shut our eyes to the light of the Gospel, such, alas, 
must be our sad experience. Pray then, my dear ; 
bow down at the feet of Christ crucified ; ask Him 
for mercy ; entreat the Heavenly Father to enlighten 
you by His Holy Spirit, and then, my dear Mar- 
guerite, read attentively the Word of God, such as 
it is contained in the Holy Scriptures ; compare the 
doctrine there taught, with that you have learned 
from your infancy ; above all, strip yourself of all 
prejudices, sacrifice at the foot of the cross of your 
Saviour, and seek the truth with all the sincerity 
of a heart truly desirous of knowing it. I send 
you by Mr. Eoussy the Bible of De Maistre de Sacy, 
which is used in the Eomish church. Oh ! read it 
with piety, and with the desire of being instructed 
in the Word of God. 

Mr. Roussy will give you an account of all the 
distress and anguish which I have passed through 
since I have known the religion of Christ ; he will 
tell you also how entire is my confidence in the 



MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 27 

merits of the Son of God, and how much peace and 
tranquillity of soul I find when I consider that one 
drop of His divine blood was sufficient to redeem 
all the sinners who apply to Him ; however wicked 
they were before." 



CHAPTER V. 

HIS LABORS AT CHAZY, AND HIS MISSIONARY 
EXCURSIONS. 

Doctor Cote had the happiness, after a few 
months, of seeing his dear companion turning to 
the Lord, and joining him in his missionary labors 
among the French population at Chazy, N. Y., a 
village situated about eight miles from the Canada 
frontier. There regular worship was established, 
which soon began to bear fruit. Among the con- 
verts during his residence at Chazy, we must 
mention an old man 83 years of age, one of 
Washington's soldiers. " After an abode of several 
days with me," says Dr. Cote, " he returned with 
the peace of Grod in his heart ; trusting solely in 
the merits of Christ, whom he regarded as having 
accomplished his salvation on the cross." 

In the autumn of 1842, the Dr. held a protracted 
meeting, aided by Mr. John Sands, then a student 
at the Grande Ligne Institute, which was blessed 
to the conversion of some Canadians and Americans. 
" We then commenced a protracted meeting," he 
(28) 



MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 29 

writes, u wliicli continued fifteen clays, during which 
time we had the pleasure of seeing many Canadians 
and four Americans converted. Menaces, perse- 
cutions, promises, flatteries, and the most absurd 
fictions were employed by the priest and his parti- 
zans to prevent their coming to hear us. But God 
had his eyes fixed upon our dear Canadians, and 
will triumph over the arts used by the Wicked One 
to arrest the progress of the light amongst this 
poor and unfortunate people, whom he has long 
deceived." 

Whilst at Chazy, Dr. Cote was often called away 
to Canada to announce the glad news of salvation. 
At first he came somewhat in secret, as he was 
afraid the government might have him arrested for 
his political offences ; but when the general amnesty 
was proclaimed, he visited Canada oftener, and 
finally settled there. 

One of his most successful missionary excursions 
was the one he made to Berea in the township of Mil- 
ton, at the end of 1 842 . We copy the following account 
from the annual statement of the mission furnished 
to the Evangelical Society by Mr. Boussy : — 

"In our last report we informed you that our 
friend, Dr. Cote, was on the eve of starting for 
Milton, to preach the Gospel to the dwellers in 
those woods, whose lives were very profligate. He 
was accompanied by a dear brother who had labored 
3* 



30 MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 

among them as a Colporteur for a year past, with 
great zeal and fidelity. They were two days in 
reaching the school-house, a distance which, in the 
winter, can be walked in three hours. The autumn 
rains had rendered the path through these woods 
so difficult, that nothing but the zeal of our breth- 
ren could have surmounted the obstacles in their 
way. Though exhausted with fatigue on their 
arrival, they made no delay in applying themselves 
with vigor to their work. After kindling a fire, 
they cut down a tree to serve at once for a table, 
and seats for their audience ; put up a temporary 
bed in one corner of their school-room ; and com- 
menced their religious services. For the first few 
days there were no visible effects, though they 
held two meetings daily. All the people, men, 
women, and even small children, readily assembled; 
no one remained at home. The intervals between 
the meetings were employed in reconciling quar- 
rels ; for these families, who had lived in continual 
strife and hatred towards each other, perceived the 
necessity of first harmonizing their differences, in 
order to obtain the blessing of Heaven. Our dear 
brother Cote, who performed the office of peace- 
maker, had the pleasure of seeing them acknowledge 
their faults one to another, and interchanging the 
language of forgiveness. On Sunday, each one 
came to the meeting with feelings of penitence, and 



MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 31 

in expectation of the Divine blessing. The exposi- 
tion of the Scriptures was listened to with marked 
solemnity ; and when those who wished were invited 
to speak, a female, naturally timid and retiring, 
rose and spoke of the wants of her soul, of the love 
of God, and of the duty of repentance, with such 
animation, freedom, and energy, that each one grew 
pale and trembled. After addressing them in most 
impressive language, she fell on her knees, and, 
weeping, poured out her heart in fervent prayer 
for herself and all present. The whole assembly 
melted into tears, and, believing that she spoke and 
prayed under the teachings of God's Spirit, bowed 
their knees and successively offered their earnest 
supplications to God for pardon 

"This happy Sabbath was the commencement 
of a happy week, devoted to the reading of the 
Word of God, to prayer, and to praise. No one 
could apply himself to any work, for the Spirit of 
the Lord had visited these cabins. Every day some 
soul was relieved of the burden of sin by trusting 
in Christ. Twenty-jive persons, as we hope, obtained 
pardon and peace at this time, making with the 
first converts, the number of twenty-nine worshippers, 
and followers of Christ in this forest." 

On his way home, Dr. Cote stopped ten days at 
St. Pie, where he held meetings daily, which were 
blessed to many individuals. 



32 MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 

Soon after, the houses built for school and wor- 
ship at St. Pie and Berea were dedicated, and Dr. 
Cote took an active part in the services held on the 
occasion. He preached several times and produced, 
in common with Rev. L. Normandeau and Rev. L. 
Roussy, a very good impression. At evening 
service at St. Pie, in which all present were invited 
to speak, fifteen individuals rose successively and 
professed their desire to serve Christ and walk in 
newness of life. And many others, who afterwards 
joined the church, referred to that time as a blessed 
season for their souls. 

During the winter, Dr. Cote made frequent visits 
at St. Pie and Berea, and his labors were attended 
with the blessing of Grod. He had a discussion 
with two priests in the presence of forty Canadians, 
near Berea, from which he came out victorious, 
having constrained the priests to acknowledge they 
were unable to defend their doctrines from the 
Bible, because they had never studied it with 
attention and care. 



CHAPTER VI. 

PERSECUTIONS AT ST. PIE. 

During the summer of 1843, Dr. Cote visited 
occasionally St. Pie and Berea. The Roman 
Catholics seeing that the truth was gaining ground, 
had recourse to violent persecutions, their usual 
arguments, in order to retard its progress. But 
God overruled it otherwise, and the Christians of 
that place, instead of being shaken in their faith, 
were brought oftener to the closet and nearer 
their Heavenly Father, feeling that He is a 
refuge for the oppressed. 

These persecutions were more violent than any 
witnessed before in Canada. The Roman Catholics 
of St. Pie, at the instigation of their priest, com- 
menced by insulting Dr. Cote and Mr. Roussy, 
who were holding a meeting in the village. They 
assembled around the house in crowds, and began 
what is called a charivari (a horning), making a 
horrible noise, and throwing stones at the Protest- 
ants. This state of things continued for a week. 

(33) 



34 MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 

Seeing they did not succeed in driving away the 
Protestants, they determined on a bolder attempt. 
On Monday, the 4th September, (the persecutions 
had commenced the 27th of August,) before nine 
o'clock in the evening, rallying cries were heard in 
every direction ; the Canadians assembling in great 
numbers, took possession of the village, posted 
their guards at different points to prevent flight, or 
cut off assistance, whilst others in carts drew up 
before the houses of the Protestants, assailing them 
with stones from eleven o'clock until three o'clock 
in the morning, breaking the doors and windows 
which were not protected by strong shutters." 
They ordered the resident Colporteur to leave the 
village, threatening to set his house on fire if he 
remained after a certain day. A Protestant magis- 
trate was then called to investigate the case. He 
was with the Protestants at St. Pie on the day 
prescribed to the Colporteur for leaving the village, 
and remained over night. But the disturbances 
were not checked by his presence. On that same 
night the Romanists commenced their charivari, 
insulted the Christians and blasphemed God, and 
finally set fire to the house of one of the converts. 
a Our affliction" says an eye-witness, " in seeing 
this house in flames, was aggravated by the infernal 
joy which the crowd manifested by shouts of 



MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 35 

laughter and clapping of hands at seeing the bonfire 
which was made of a dwelling of the Protestants." 

In such trying circumstances the converts, and 
especially Messrs. Roussy and Cote, asked them- 
selves whether it was not their duty, like Paul in 
another case, to appeal to the protection of the laws, 
and show the intolerant Eoman Catholics that they 
were entitled to religious liberty as well as them- 
selves. That this was very important, any one can 
understand, in order to prevent in the future the 
renewal of such outrages. After prayerful con- 
sideration, it was decided that since Providence 
had placed them under a government that secures 
to all freedom of worship, they should require an 
enforcement of their rights. Hence thirty persons 
were arrested, the most of whom would certainly 
have been sent to Montreal jail, had not Papal 
magistrates interfered and succeeded in liberating 
them under bail. 

Dr. Cote was very active and very useful in these 
circumstances. His knowledge of law, and his firm- 
ness, enabled him to plead the cause of religious 
freedom, and impress the Eoman Catholics with 
a conviction of the rights granted by the law to the 
Protestants as well as to themselves. 

Very soon peace and tranquillity were restored ; 
and the offenders manifesting feelings of repentance, 
it was thought best to let the suit drop — since the 



36 MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 

desired object was attained, that is, to cause the 
Roman Catholics to feel that persecutors could be 
lawfully punished in this country, and that outrages 
against the Protestants could not be perpetrated 
with impunity. 

It had a very good effect. The Roman Catholics 
saw that the Protestants were not animated with 
bitter feelings towards them, and had not been 
prompted by a spirit of revenge. They were 
constrained to acknowledge that these harmless 
Christians had returned good for evil, according to 
the precepts of the Gospel, evincing the same mind 
that was in Christ Jesus. 

It soon providentially happened that Dr. Cote, 
who immediately settled there, was called in his 
medical capacity to visit the families of some of the 
persecutors. He went willingly, forgetting the 
past, and doing them all the good he could. Such 
conduct was well calculated to make a good impres- 
sion upon their minds, and we have reason to think 
it was blessed to many. 



CHAPTER VII. 

SICKNESS, AXD VOYAGE TO THE SOUTH. 

Immediately after the disturbances related 
above, Dr. Cote was settled at St. Pie with his 
family. Before that time the station had only 
been occasionally visited, but this state of things 
could not continue any longer. Dr. Cote was the 
man prepared to take this station. He entered on 
his labors with characteristic ardor and energy. 
But another trial awaited the mission : his health 
began to fail, and however anxious he was to pro- 
claim the good news of salvation in that field, he 
was obliged to leave it and seek a milder climate. 
It was greatly feared that he was consumptive, and 
would be removed by death. Pie left Canada in 
the month of 3Iarch, 1844, and went to Savannah, 
Georgia, after having spent a few days at New York. 

The voyage to Savannah was beneficial to his 
health. He had hardly arrived there before he 
began to experience a happy change, which war- 
ranted the hope of a speedy recovery. In a letter 
dated April 15th, he says: "I arrived here last 
4 (37) 



38 MEMOIR OF DR. COTE 

Saturday, after a yery happy passage of nine dayu> 

The sea has only done me good During 

the passage I have coughed but little, and only 
two or three times spit up blood. I am less troubled 
now with pains in my breast." 

In his sickness, he experienced the consolations 
of religion, and though absent from home, and 
deprived of the attention and care of his beloved 
wife and friends, he enjoyed that peace which 
passeth all understanding. In a letter to Mr. 
Eoussy he says : " The Christian has a friend to 
console and comfort him in his trials, and in the 
midst of agitations and troubles he can look with 
confidence to God, and say with calmness and 
resignation, 6 Let thy will be done, and not mine/ M 
In the same letter he earnestly requests the prayers 
of his brethren that he may be truly resigned to 
the will of Grod. 

His health continuing to improve, he left Savan- 
nah in May, and arrived again at St. Pie in Canada, 
in June. He resumed his labors in the midst of 
those he loved so much in Christ. He felt very 
thankful for his recovery, in regard to which he 
said, " If I was enabled to resign myself with plea- 
sure to the will of my Father, who seemed to say 
to me that the time had come for me to leave this 
house of clay, I blessed Him too, from the bottom 



MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 39 

of my heart, when he said to me, l Be healed/ and 
when he gave me entire liberty in bearing the 
Word of Life to those I so much desired to rescue 
from the slavery of the Man of Sin." The next 
chapter will show that he did not labor in vain. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

HIS ORDINATION. SUBSEQUENT LABORS AT ST. 

PIE. INTERESTING- CASES. VISITS TO THE 

UNITED STATES. 

Dr. Cote being now permanently settled at St. 
Pie, it was necessary that he should be ordained. 
A meeting of ministers was called, and on the 28th 
of August, 1844, he was solemnly set apart by 
prayer and the laying on of hands, to the work of 
the gospel ministry. He was ordained over the 
church which had chosen him for their pastor. 

He was so successful that in the month of March 
of the following year, 1845, he could write thus : 
u Since the month of June last, thirty have joined 
the church, after having given unequivocal signs 
of a sincere return to God, and of having received 
that faith in their hearts which gives them a title 
to being the children of God." 

" The Spirit of the Most High," he continues, 
" acted with so much power upon many who had 
not yet received the seal of adoption, that in Decem- 
ber last, I thought best to have, every afternoon at 
four o'clock, a prayer meeting, and at seven o'clock 
(40) 



MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 41 

the Word of God was preached. The hand of the 
Lord was so evidently with us, that the church 
requested that these meetings should be kept up 
for a fortnight ; at the end of which time five souls 
professed publicly that they had passed from death 
unto life, and that their hearts rejoiced in that joy 
which none can take away." 

In 1846, he wrote again to Rev. J. M. Cramp as 
follows : — 

St. Pie, August 1, 1846. 
Dear Brother, 

Imploring the blessing of our Heavenly Father, 
I hasten to comply with your request, by writing 
a few words respecting the good things which the 
Lord, in his infinite mercy, is accomplishing here, 
in favor of a people peculiarly dear to me. Unite 
with me in earnestly supplicating the Author of 
every perfect gift, to shed his benedictions on the 
plans which we daily form and carry into execution, 
for the advancement of the Kingdom of Christ in 
this part of His vineyard. 

If I were required to detail minutely all 
that has been done here since I transmitted 
my last Report, I must confess that the task 
would be too difficult, and altogether beyond my 
strength. I shall content myself with giving 
you a general view of the blessings which the 



42 MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 

Lord lias bestowed upon us since I last wrote to 
you, that we may give all the glory to Him to whom 
alone it is due. 

CONVERSION OF A YOUNG MAN. 

In 1841, this young man who was then 16 years 
of age, and lived in this parish, went to spend a 
few days in the adjoining parish, (St. Cesair,) in 
order to assist at a protracted meeting which the 
Jesuits were holding. After having devoutly at- 
tended the masses which were every day celebrated, 
and heard the sermons which were preached during 
the exercises, the young man presented himself at 
the tribunal of confession, that he might be deliv- 
ered from the burden of sin which heavily pressed 
upon his soul. He had confessed but a few times 
when his confessor gave him absolution, and directed 
him to receive the eucharist. Pie was astonished 
at the ease with which sins that appeared to him 
so heinous were pardoned. He endeavored to 
persuade the priest that he was not yet sufficiently 
prepared for the holy ordinance, but he was unsuc- 
cessful ) the priest commanded him to render obedi- 
ence at once. He returned to his lodgings very 
sorrowful, yet determined not to expose himself 
to the peril of committing sacrilege, as he consid- 
ered it, in receiving the communion while his con- 
science was so oppressed with the burden of his sins. 



MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 43 

Next clay lie went again to confession, when the 
priest sharply reproved him for his disobedience, 
and told him to go to him no more till he had 
yielded submission. Among other expressions used 
by the priest on that occasion, and which deeply 
impressed his mind, were these words : — " Do you 
think that I design to damn you?" Distressed at 
finding that his confessor would not allow him to 
prostrate himself at his feet any more, but being 
still unable to overcome the reluctance and fear 
which prevented him from communion while his 
conscience was oppressed with sin, he wept abun- 
dantly, and sorrowfully took the road that led to 
his father's house. The words of the priest were 
continually sounding in his ears, — " Do you think 
that I design to damn you?" — till at length he 
became satisfied that the execution of the implied 
threat was possible, and from that moment he re- 
solved to learn to read, that he might be able to 
examine the book whence the priests derive their 
knowledge and their instructions, that he might 
judge for himself, whether his confessor had been 
faithful, or whether he himself had been too scru- 
pulous in refusing to do what had been required 
of him. About the same time he learned that a 
person had arrived at St. Pie, who gave copies of 
the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to all who 
were willing to accept them. He found means to 



44 MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 

procure a copy, and, by the assistance of a little 
girl, soon made such progress in the art of reading 
as to be able to understand what he read. How 
great was his surprise, when he discovered, by the 
Sacred Volume, that no man could take away his 
sins, and that the blood of Christ only can wash 
and cleanse the soul ! The perusal of the New 
Testament was a new era in his life. Meanwhile 
the fact of his reading the book was known to no 
one but his young instructress, who faithfully kept 
the secret. When he was able to read without 
assistance, he spent whole days in perusing the 
Word of God. Then he determined in his heart to 
separate himself from the Church of Rome, which 
had so long kept him in ignorance of the true doc- 
trine of free salvation by Jesus Christ. 

Soon after, he left the paternal roof, to seek em- 
ployment elsewhere. He took with him the pre- 
cious volume which had revealed the falsehoods of 
Romanism. The more he read the Gospels, the 
more clearly he saw the absolute necessity of con- 
version to God, yet he wished it to be delayed, that 
he might not be exposed to the persecutions of the 
world. He could not long conceal the state of his 
mind, and then, in order to escape the mockings 
and insults of his young companions, he imitated 
the example of Peter, who, at the sight of a ser- 
vant maid, swore that he knew not his Master. 



MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 45 

From that time he became more worldly than ever, 
although his conscience continually reproached him 
as a traitor to his God. He continued three long 
years in this deplorable condition, struggling against 
his conscience and against the word of God, which 
continually warned him that he was deficient in his 
duty, both towards God and towards his own soul. 
Sometimes he seemed to show signs of penitence, 
but generally he affected complete unbelief, and he 
lived in open sin. 

Last autumn a bishop of the Romish Church 
visited the place where he lived, for the purpose of 
consecrating a new church. He hastened to the 
spot, that he might converse with him on the Bible, 
and ascertain whether he could maintain his senti- 
ments by the authority of the word of God. He 
was convinced in a few moments that the bishop 
was not better acquainted with the Bible than any 
priest, and to all his questions concerning the doc- 
trines of the Christian religion, he received only 
vague and evasive replies, sometimes contradictory, 
and frequently accompanied by contemptuous and 
insulting language. He returned home, more fully 
persuaded than ever that Romanism cannot stand 
before the light of the Gospel of Jesus, but at the 
same time more determined than ever not to be 
converted to God. He continued several days in 
that state of impenitence and hardness of heart, 



46 MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 

when, being one day engaged in the forest, cutting 
wood, with a very heavy axe, his foot suddenly 
slipped, and the axe violently struck his leg, just 
at the knee-joint. The loss of blood was so great 
that he fainted, and was conveyed to his lodging 
in an insensible state. As no surgical assistance 
could be obtained, those about him made use of 
some very powerful remedies, and succeeded in 
stopping the flow of blood, but the effect was a vio- 
lent inflammation, which threatened to produce 
mortification, not only of the leg, but also of the 
thigh. In this sad condition his friends brought 
him to my house, which is about three leagues 
from the place where he received the hurt. I was 
not at home at the time, but Mrs. Cote, perceiving 
the frightful condition in which the young man 
was, would not allow him to be taken back. She 
prepared a room for him, applied soothing poultices 
to the wound, and the result was, that when I 
returned home, on the second day, I found that 
God had blessed the application of these simple 
remedies. In a few days the patient was out of 
danger, though the size and depth of the wound 
precluded the hope of a speedy cure. 

It was necessary that he should reside some time 
with us. I felt it my duty to converse with him 
on the state of his soul. I pointed out to him the 
goodness of the Lord, in chastising as a father, 



MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 47 

instead of smiting him to death. I urged him to 
consider seriously his obstinacy in refusing to submit 
to Him who had so often knocked at the door of 
his heart, and entreated him to delay no longer, 
nor to continue to resist the grace of God. A 
fearful struggle followed. At length, having been 
led to confess and deplore the wickedness of his past 
life, and to shed many tears of repentance, he ex- 
perienced reconciliation with God through the Lord 
Jesus Christ. Having found peace, he became 
joyful and happy, and was enabled to thank God 
for having chastened him in fatherly tenderness. 
He remained with me till his cure was completed, 
and then returned home. Shortly afterwards he 
came back, and earnestly requested me to take him 
again into my house, that he might be more per- 
fectly instructed in the way of the Lord. He soon 
informed me of his desire to become a Colporteur, 
that he might advance the Kingdom of the Saviour 
among his fellow-countrymen. Having sought 
divine direction in the affair, I complied with his 
request. He remained a few months at my house, 
and then went to the Mission House at Grand 
Ligne, where he is now under preparation for the 
work in which he is hereafter to be engaged. He 
continues to give proof of sincere piety, and genuine 
devotedness to the cause of his Master.' 1 



48 MEMOIR OF DR. COTS. 

After relating two other interesting conversions 
Dr. Cote goes on to say : — 

" While our Heavenly Father has been pleased, in 
his great compassion, to increase and multiply our 
little flock, He has also seen fit, in his infinite wis- 
dom, to take from us a brother whom we all highly 
esteemed, and who was the first at St. Pie to 
receive the light of the Word of God. Those of 
your readers who are acquainted with the history 
of the religious awakening at St. Pie, in 1841, will 
doubtless remember that at that time, by means of 
a Bible which his father had left him at his death, 
Jean Baptiste Auger began to discover the errors 
of, the Church of Rome, and the truth of Chris- 
tianity. From the moment of his conversion till 
his death, which to*)k place on the 25th of March 
last, he maintained an undeviating consistency. 
He was always the stern enemy of error, and the 
zealous advocate of the cause of his Divine Master. 
The week before that in which he died, I conversed 
with him very seriously on the state of his health, 
and felt it my duty, as a medical man, to tell him 
that I feared he could not long withstand the 
attacks of a disorder which was undermining his 
strength, and appeared likely to issue in con- 
sumption. I was then very far from expecting 
that within eight days I should be called to commit 
to the earth the mortal remains of that beloved 



MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 49 

brother. The day after our conversation I was 
confined to my bed by sickness, and brother Auger 
was also in the same state. Two days after, a 
messenger came to me in the night, to tell me that 
he was alarmingly ill, and the next day at noon I 
left my bed, though with difficulty, to visit him. 
I found that he was very near death. He asked 
my opinion of his state. I could not conceal from 
him the truth, and therefore told him that he must 
prepare to meet God in a very short time. He 
began immediately to sing a hymn of praise, and 
then requested me to pray. Then he proceeded, 
with the utmost calmness, to arrange his temporal 
affairs, continually praising and blessing God that, 
after having given him full opportunity to make 
sure his calling and election in Jesus Christ, he 
was now pleased, in great mercy, to call him to 
himself. From that time till his death, which oc- 
curred about thirty-six hours after my first visit, 
his whole time was employed, as far as extreme 
suffering would permit, in singing hymns, praying, 
and exhorting those who were around his bed. He 
besought Christians to persevere in the faith, and 
the unconverted to repent and commit themselves 
to Jesus. He asked for one of his old friends who 
knew the Gospel, but who still continued in sin, 
through fear of the world 5 and admonished him to 
turn to the Lord, to burst the bonds which confined 
5 



50 MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 

him, and to embrace the salvation offered in the 
Gospel. He sent for one who had denied the faith, 
but he did not arrive in time to receive from the 
lips of the dying man the counsels which he had 
intended to give, if God had permitted him. Hav- 
ing told me, however, what he had purposed to say, 
I repeated to the fallen brother the solemn admoni- 
tions which his dying friend had charged me to 
give. They produced the desired effect. The back- 
slider confessed his fault, abandoned his errors and 
his evil ways, and, to all appearances, affords now 
good proof of a Christian life. 

Perceiving one of his friends in tears, he ad- 
dressed him in the following manner : — " If your 
friend was about to receive a large inheritance, 
would you weep over his fate V The other having 
answered in the negative, — "Well," he replied, 
" that is my position ; in a few hours I shall have 
heaven for my inheritance ) therefore shed no more 
tears on my account/' Towards midnight he asked 
me how long he might yet live : " hardly three 
hours," I replied, — " by that time all will be over 
with you here below." As the end of the three 
hours drew nigh he felt that death was at hand. 
Sitting up in his bed, and joining his hands to- 
gether, he began to repeat the Lord's prayer, with 
a loud voice : but when he came to the words, 
"Forgive us our offences/' his voice failed him, 



MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 51 

and he was obliged to lay his head on the pillow 
and finish the prayer in a lower tone. Then, hav- 
ing bidden farewell to those who surrounded the 
bed, by an impressive motion of his hand, he was 
heard to exclaim, in a low whisper, " Come Jesus, 
come," — and immediately expired, without pain. 

His funeral was attended by an immense con- 
course of people, among whom was a large number 
of Romanists, who came to pay that tribute of 
respect which his irreproachable conduct had ever 
secured. We have reason to hope that we shall 
ere long see the fruit of the good seed scattered 
abroad by our friend, both during his eminently 
Christian life, and during the short period of his 
sickness. 

Since my last Report, twelve new members have 
been added to the Church at St. Pie on a public 
profession of their faith, all of whom, with only one 
exception, have been snatched from the delusions 
of Popery. There are many others who are under 
serious concern for the salvation of their souls. 

Some time since I received an application from 
ten families in this parish, all Romanists, requesting 
me to interest myself on their behalf with the Swiss 
Mission, that a schoolmaster might be sent to in- 
struct their children, promising to furnish a site for 
a building, to erect at their own expense a school- 
house, (the floors, doors, and windows excepted,) 



52 MEMOIR OE DR. COTE. 

and to give legal possession of the property to the 
Mission. We are not aware that the Gospel has 
been introduced to more than two or three families, 
nor has it produced as yet any effect upon them. 
We think that in this proposal of theirs the finger 
of God is visible, and that He is about to call more 
souls to the knowledge of the truth. The site 
that is offered us is very valuable in this respect, — it 
is situated in the midst of influential and respectable 
families. May the Lord bless this new enterprise, 
that it may issue in the glory of his holy name ! 

In closing this Report, dear brother, I have to 
request that you and your readers will pray for one 
who knows and feels his weakness, and his unfit- 
ness for the work to which it has pleased the Lord 
to call him. May all Christians who read these 
lines determine not to forget us in their daily sup- 
plications at the throne of Divine grace and mercy. 
And now, beloved and much honored brother, 
believe me, for life, your affectionate brother in 
Jesus Christ, 

C. H. 0. COTE. 
Rev. J. M. Cramp, A. M. 

Dr. Cote continued to labor at St. Pie and 
vicinity until the spring of 1848, and though for 
the last year or two no revival took place, we have 
reason to think that the blessing of God rested upon 



MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 53 

Lis missionary efforts, and that they were blessed 
to many a soul. 

In August, 1847, he wrote : " I cannot say, with 
truth, that the cause of the Saviour advances in 
this place as fast as the children of God would 

desire The priests of the church of Rome 

are violent, and spare no pains to prevent the circu- 
lation of the Word of God among their flocks, 
proving by this dread of the truth that they are of 
the number of those who ' hate the light, and will 
not come to the light, lest their deeds should be 
reproved/ Nevertheless, in spite of all their efforts, 
we see from time to time individuals withdrawing 
themselves from the worship of the Beast in order 
to take refuge «Bt the feet of Him, concerning whom 
John the Baptist said, l Behold the Lamb of God 
that taketh away the sins of the world f and these 
experience the fulfilment of the declaration, that 
1 to as many as received him, to them he gave 
power to become the sons of God, even to them 
which believe on his name/ " 

Whilst resident at St. Pie, Dr. Cote was called 
almost every year into the United States a month 
or more, in order to awaken an interest in favor of 
the Mission, and collect funds for its support. 

In the spring of 1848, the circumstances of the 
Mission were such that he was obliged to visit the 
United States, and spend considerable time there. 
5* 



54 MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 

He resigned his charge at St. Pie, and proceeded 
on his journey which lasted eight months. A 
great part of this period was spent in the city of 
Philadelphia, where he prepared for the press, and 
edited for the American Baptist Publication Society 
several French works on the Romish Controversy. 
There were six publications, three books and three 
tracts. The volumes were, " Extracts from Eccle- 
siastical History on the Origin of some of the 
Errors of the Romish Church," prepared by Rev. 
L. Normandeau; "Pengilly's Scripture Guide to 
Baptism," translated by Rev. L. Normandeau ; and 
" Remington's Reasons for becoming a Baptist," 
translated by Dr. Cote. The first of these volumes 
contains 180 pages, the second, 200 pages, and the 
third, 80 pages, making an aggregate of 460 pages. 
The tracts were all prepared by Dr. Cote; No. 1, 
The Holy Bible on Baptism ; No. 2, A Chronolo- 
gical Table of important events ; No. 3, A "Word in 
Passing, to those who have left the Romish Church. 
He acquitted himself of his task with diligence and 
fidelity, and was very successful in his efforts to 
gain friends and funds for the Mission. 

He returned to Grande Ligne, where his family 
had lived during his absence, at the end of Decem- 
ber of that year. 



CHAPTER IX. 

HIS LABORS AT ST. MARY, NEAR FORT GEORGE. 

After his return from the United States, Dr. 
Cote spent two months at Grande Ligne, waiting 
for the directions of his Heavenly Father in regard 
to his future field of labor. His attention wa3 
drawn towards St. Mary, a parish some twenty 
miles east of Grande Ligne, where a certain number 
of families had been listening to the Truth. 

But the difficulty in the way was the uncertainty 
of getting a house. One was for sale, but the 
proprietor refused to sell it for Dr. Cote. However, 
God, who designed to make him the instrument of 
much good in that place, opened the way. An 
English Protestant, a friend of the Mission, know- 
ing these circumstances, found the means of buying 
that house, and soon the Doctor took possession of 
it, to the great astonishment of the Koman Catholics. 

The priest of the neighboring parish was so angry 
at it, that he came with about a hundred of his 
parishioners with the avowed purpose of driving 
away Dr. Cote. But God watched over his servant, 

C55) 



56 MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 

and the mob dispersed without daring or attempt- 
ing to do any harm. 

During the spring and summer of 1849, he visited 
many families to whom he spoke of Christ crucified. 
His profession opened for him the doors of many 
houses, and whilst relieving the sufferings of the 
body as a physician, he forgot not the precious 
soul, but made it a rule to speak about the Gospel, 
wherever he was called. 

In the autumn, he again visited the United 
States, and on his way to New York wrote the 
following letter, in which he alludes to the useful- 
ness of the books prepared the year before in 
French, and published by the American Baptist 
Publication Society. 



St Johns, 10th November, 1849. 
Dear Brother: — Had I considered my own 
feelings, I should have written to you a long time 
ago. But it has been impossible for me so to do 
on account of my numerous engagements. It is 
now my intention to visit Philadelphia, and there I 
shall have the pleasure of relating to you personally 
all the good that the books which the American 
Baptist Publication Society printed for us, have 
done among our poor benighted Romanist population. 



MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 57 

We have distributed nearly all of the " Extraits de 
la Historie Ecclesiastique;" and as imperfect as 
they were, they have done us an immense deal of 
good. My object in writing to you to-day, is to 
beg from your Society a graot of the remaining 
portion of that work in your possession, as also a 
good supply, if you can give it, of the " Table 
Chronologique," which also has proved very effec- 
tual among the Canadians. 

Dr. Cote was appointed a missionary of the 
American Baptist Home Mission Society, in com- 
mon with the other ministers of the Grande Ligne 
Mission, and public preaching was established at 
his house. It began to be attended by a few 
individuals. The number of the hearers gradually 
increased j souls were converted to God ; and before 
his death he was blessed to see some fifteen families 
abandoning the Romish church. He baptized in 
July and August seven converts, and as many 
more manifested a change of heart, and were ready 
to make a public profession of their faith by being 
buried with Christ in baptism. 

The field of St. Mary was beginning to be very 
interesting, and we thought our brother was settled 
there for a long while. A church, we anticipated, 
was soon to be organised. When he was at the 
Grande Ligne last, just before he set out for the 



58 MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 

United States, where lie was to die in a few days, 
he spoke of it, and appeared very desirous that the 
converts of St. Mary should be organised into a 
Christian church, and enjoy its holy privileges; 
but we are all permitted to learn that while man 
can anticipate, hope and appoint, God, whose 
thoughts are higher than our thoughts, can wisely 
and mercifully disappoint. "He doeth all things 
well/' 



CHAPTER X. 

HIS LAST ILLNESS AXD DEATH. 

Dr. Cote was invited to attend the annual 
meeting of the Lamoille Association, which was to 
take place at Hinesburgh, Vermont, on the 18th 
September, 1850; and desirous of seeing his breth- 
ren who were going to meet there, and of interesting 
them in favor of the Grande Ligne Mission, he 
accepted the invitation. On his way, he felt some 
indisposition, but it was not thought serious. On 
the morning of the day that the Association was to 
meet, he was seized with a violent pain in his left 
arm, which was at first supposed to be rheumatism. 
However, he was able to address the meeting, 
though with difficulty. But soon afterwards his 
pain increased and extended to every part of his 
body. Seven physicians were called in, who pro- 
nounced it a case of inflammatory neuralgic fever. 
All their efforts for his relief were useless. His 
time had come to leave this world of sin and trial 
for his heavenly inheritance, and it was not in the 
power of man to accomplish his recover v. 

(59) 



60 MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 

We have two accounts of his death, one from an 
enemy, and the other from a friend. The one is 
from the Melanges Religieux, a Catholic paper, the 
substance of which was that Dr. Cote was preaching 
in a chapel which belonged to his sect, while at the 
same time a Catholic priest was preaching in a 
neighboring church. All at once he felt a sense 
of suffocation, and fell down in great agony. Some 
expressions of remorse, in view of his life, fell from 
his lips, but he died without manifesting any signs 
of true repentance. Nay, he went so far as to try 
to pervert a young man who stood at his side, but 
happily, he was on his guard, and could not be 
shaken from the faith. Such is the lying spirit in 
the mouth of Popery, to this day. So are its igno- 
rant victims deceived, and held in bondage. 

The other account is from Mr. Normandeau, of 
the Grande Ligne Mission, who was present at the 
time of Dr. Cote's death, and writes as an eye- 
witness of the glorious though mournful scene. 

From an early period in his sickness he had a 
settled impression that he should not recover. His 
sufferings were intense, but in the midst of them 
Christian patience had its perfect work. To those 
around him he would say, " Talk to me about God." 
On one occasion he remarked, " In me you see a 
perfect development of physical suffering, and of 
spiritual peace." When a Christian brother said 



MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 61 

to hiin, " It does not seem as though you could be 
spared from the mission/' he replied, " God's 
thoughts are not as our thoughts, nor his ways as 
our ways." And so it proved. 

He had sent for Rev. Mr. Normandeau of Grande 
Ligne, and not long after this gentleman had 
arrived at Hinesburgh the Doctor seemed better, 
and some hopes were entertained that he might 
recover. Mr. Normandeau returned home, but was 
soon telegraphed to return to Hinesburgh with Dr. 
Cote's two elder children. Mr. Normandeau 
arrived on the morning of the 3d of October. The 
Doctor had fallen into a state of delirium : he 
imagined himself engaged in religious exercises, 
and prayed and preached as if in the presence of a 
large congregation. 

" About three in the afternoon, a lucid interval 
was enjoyed. His children were taken to him. 
The interview was brief, and the words were few, 
but expressive. < I am happy ! I am happy !' the 
dying husband and father exclaimed, and again 
relapsed into unconsciousness, overpowered by the 
excitement. 

" Shortly afterwards, Mr. Normandeau spoke to 
him. To an inquiry respecting the state of his 
mind, he replied, ( Quite well — all is peace/ 'In 
whom do you place your confidence Y ' In Jesus.' 
( Do you think that you are dying V ' I am quite 
6 



62 MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 

aware of it/ 'Does it grieve you that you are 
about to leave the world V 6 Oh no V ' But your 
family V 'I leave them in the hands of God. 7 
We spoke to him/' says Mr. Normandeau, "as 
often as there were signs of returning consciousness, 
and he invariably said that he had no fear. Some 
days before, he had remarked to those who were in 
attendance, that he had reason to be very thankful 
that this sickness had not come upon him while he 
was yet in his sins, and in connection with the 
church of Rome. From the beginning of his 
illness, . he had felt persuaded that he should not 
recover ; he expressed this opinion to Mrs. Cote, at 
the same time consoling her by the assurance that 
God would take care of her and the children. 

"He became gradually weaker till midnight, 
when unequivocal symptoms of approaching disso- 
lution appeared. At one o'clock in the morning 
he peacefully departed, dying without a struggle, 
October 4th, 1850, in the 42d year of his age/' 

He had expressed the desire of being buried at 
Grande Ligne, and in compliance with this request, 
his remains were conveyed there and deposited in 
the Mission burial ground, in the presence of a 
large and deeply affected assembly. They were 
followed by many of the friends at Hinesburgh as 
far as Burlington, and by some of them to the place 
of burial. The funeral sermon was preached in 



MEMOIR OF. DR. COTE. 63 

French at the Mission Chapel, by Rev. L. Norman- 
deau, from 1 Peter iv. 7. Rev. L. Roussy read 
the Scriptures, gave a brief, but solemn address, 
and offered prayer at the grave. Thus ended the 
funeral service of a great and good man. Many of the 
converts of St. Mary were present, and accompanied 
in tears to the grave their beloved minister, whom 
a few weeks before they had in their midst in 
perfect health and entirely engaged in the missionary 
work. They mourned, not as those, however, who 
have no hope, but as children who bow in humility 
and resignation before a good and wise Father, 
whose dispensations are all love and mercy. 



CONCLUSION. 

Dr. Cote was a true patriot He loved his 
country, and was always desirous of doing something 
for its welfare. At first, not knowing any better 
way, lie sought the remedy to its evils in political 
and social changes alone, and had recourse to 
unlawful" means. But when he was enlightened 
by the Word and Spirit of God, he saw that the 
only foundation for happiness and prosperity is in 
the religion of the Gospel ; and he immediately 
endeavored to impart it to his fellow-countrymen, 
pointing them to the Son of God, by whom if they 
were once freed, they would be free indeed. 

Dr. Cote was a true missionary. His missionary 
career was not long ; it was only eight years, but it 
was well filled, and certainly successful, if we con- 
sider the numerous obstacles that beset the paths of 
the servants of God in Lower Canada. 

His medical profession, his thorough education, 
his piety of heart, and his natural activity, emi- 
nently fitted him for the arduous duty of a pioneer 
missionary. He could get access to many families 
(64) 



MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 65 

whom another minister could not reach, and nothing 
delighted him more than being actively engaged in 
ministering to the bodily and spiritual wants of his 
dear fellow-countrymen. 

He possessed more than common natural powers, 
and great energy of character. Whatever he 
undertook, he accomplished with all his might. 
The same remarks might apply in regard to his 
views, which were generally very decided. How- 
ever, his attachment to his convictions did not 
prevent him from enjoying the " communion of 
gaints ; w he associated himself with Christians of 
all denominations, and was happy among them. 

Dr. Cote was a good preacher, though not regu- 
larly trained for the ministry. His political career 
had accustomed him to speak in public, and as 
soon as he knew the truth he became a preacher 
and a missionary. The writer remembers having 
been deeply affected when he heard him for the 
first time proclaiming the Gospel. He had heard 
him before speak in public ; it was during the time 
of the rebellion, when the Doctor harangued the 
soldiers before one of the fearful battles in which 
he was engaged ; but now, himself converted a few 
months before, he saw the rebel transformed into a 
soldier of the cross of Christ, and proclaiming the 
glorious Gospel he loved so ardently, and he could 
not sufficiently bless his Heavenly Father fur the 
6* 



66 MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 

great and glorious change that had taken place. 
And now, after having toiled but a little while in 
missionary service with him, he mourns over him 
as over a dear departed fellow-laborer, a faithful 
friend, and a sincere brother in Jesus Christ our 
Lord. 

Dr. Cote was also useful as an author and 
editor. Perhaps when all earthly things are 
summed up, this branch of his labors will be found 
laden with precious fruit beyond all the rest. 

None who have read his Reply to "Kirwan/' 
however much they may deplore its necessity, can 
doubt his eminent ability, effectiveness, and Chris- 
tian spirit as a controversial writer. Alas ! that on 
such a subject — a subject which lies at the very 
threshold of the Christian church in all the lovely 
simplicity of a Christian duty — the watchmen of 
Zion should not see eye to eye, and lift up their 
voices together ! It is not our intention to dwell 
on this subject, where the vantage ground of 
Scripture was so clearly on the side of Dr. Cote, 
but as an act of justice to his memory to say, that 
he amply acquitted himself of every allegation 
which was brought against him in the New York 
Observer ; and displayed a beautiful example of the 
union of wisdom, faithfulness and love, as honorable 
to our common Christianity as to his own indivi- 
dual profession of its transforming power. 



MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 67 

Of the works which he prepared for the press, 
in the French language, many thousands of copies 
have been circulated already in the United States, 
in Canada, in Hayti, and in France. Two of them 
have been eminently successful in opening the 
blind eyes, viz., " The Errors of the Romish 
Church," and " A Word in Passing." In refer- 
ence to the surprising effects of the latter tract, a 
missionary in Hay ti writes, " Had Dr. Cote written 
nothing else, he would not have lived in vain." 

In reviewing the Life of Dr. Cote we are struck 
with several points worthy of reflection. 

1. We see the vanity and misery of Infidelity. 
Born and bred in the Roman Catholic church, his 
discerning mind perceived her corruptions, and her 
pernicious influence on his countrymen, whom he 
loved with a patriotic affection. He threw off the 
fetters of her despotic sway, and in ignorance of 
any better faith, sought refuge in a skeptical 
philosophy. But in vain. He found nothing 
satisfactory, nothing sufficient to solve the inquiries 
of his mind, to alleviate the burdens of conscience, 
or purify and fill the yearning affections of his 
heart. Professionally attending on a dying friend, 
he could neither stay the uplifted arm of death, 
nor charm away the venom of its sting by any well 
grounded hopes of pardon and immortal happiness 
beyond the grave. Over the cold grave hung the 



68 MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 

gloomy shadows of dreadful uncertainty. The 
tears he shed for his lost friend were the tears of 
despair. Nor was he able to find rest for his soul, 
until he was effectually led to the knowledge of the 
truth as it is in Jesus. 

2. We see in his conversion a remarkable instance 
of God's distinguishing grace. The question of 
the Apostle, "Who maketh thee to differ from 
another V } admits of but one answer ; and that 
answer Dr. Cote was ever ready to give from a full 
heart of trembling gratitude. He had seen his 
friend die without hope. He, though equally 
unworthy, perhaps more guilty in the sight of God, 
was spared, softened, humbled at the foot of the 
cross, and filled with unspeakable joy and peace in 
believing. Why was this ? The fact is certain. 
The cause lies deep in the recesses of God'a 
unsearchable wisdom and love. From the midst 
of the thick darkness, we hear a voice of Sovereign 
Majesty, declaring, " I will cause all my goodness 
to pass before thee, and I will have mercy upon 
whom I will have mercy." In Dr. Cote we see a 
brand plucked from the fire — a vessel of mercy 
prepared afore unto glory — a chosen vessel to bear 
the name of Christ to his deluded and perishing 
fellow-men. What a song of admiring and adoring 
gratitude must be his forever ! And how thank- 
fully should we also glorify God in him ! 



MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 69 

3. We learn from this Memoir that even Infidels, 
who were formerly Roman Catholics, are within 
the reach of evangelical labor, and hope. We say 
even Infidels, for such was Dr. Cote before he was 
brought to the careful study of the Bible. Robert 
Hall has somewhere said that u Infidelity is merely 
a noxious spawn, bred in the stagnant marshes of 
a corrupted Christianity," and the justice of this 
observation is seen in the biography before us. 
Had not Dr. Cote seen in the Romish church to 
which he belonged by birth and education, such a 
mass of glaring corruption, he might never have 
felt the shock and recoil which drove him into 
unbelief. Or, if he had made that painful discovery 
in the light of the Scriptures, he might have cast 
off Rome, without casting off Christianity. But 
as he had ever been trained to regard them as 
one, it was not easy to make the necessary separa- 
tion, even were he so disposed, until he became 
acquainted with the Bible, the Book forbidden by 
Rome, lest its light should expose her aggravated 
sins. To the study of this Book we have seen that 
he was led, by observing its happy influence on the 
hearts and lives of sincere Christians. The prayer 
meetings of the little church at Swanton first 
unfolded to him the holy beauty, the elevating 
hopes, and the tender tranquillizing power of the 
spiritual life imparted by Christ to all true believers. 



70 MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 

4. If then in his case we see there is hope of 
reclaiming the Infidel, much more do we see such 
hope of success in evangelical labors for the instruc- 
tion and salvation of Roman Catholics. The letter 
of Dr. Cote to his wife, so prompt, so earnest, so 
affectionate, so judicious, was precious seed sown 
in tears, soon to be reaped in the joy of her con- 
version and faithful co-operation in the work of 
Christ. The whole history of his subsequent 
labors, and indeed the whole history of the Grande 
Ligne Mission from the beginning to this day, 
afford abundant proof that no depth of ignorance 
and superstition, no power of hereditary prejudice, 
no arts of a wily and desperate priesthood, can rear 
a barrier impassable to the humble, prayerful, 
persevering efforts of evangelical Christians for the 
conversion of Roman Catholics. No doubt can 
exist on this point in the mind of any individual, 
after reading this Memoir. The brief Narratives 
that follow will form the proper sequel, support, 
and seal of this gratifying position. 

5. No one, it seems to us, can fail in deriving 
from the latter part of this Memoir, the cheering 
lesson that God reigns in the promotion of His 
own kingdom ; and that, as a consequence, opposi- 
tion of all sorts may be overruled for good. It is 
a short-sighted philanthropy that hopes to find 
every effort and sacrifice for the good of others, 



MEMOIR OF DR. COTE. 71 

greeted by universal applause, and individual grati- 
tude. However worthy of being welcomed thus, 
the life and death of our Redeemer teach us upon 
this point a more stern and awful truth. We may 
go forth with the lamp of life to benighted men, 
and yet find that they love darkness rather than 
light, because their deeds are evil; or they have 
encompassed themselves " with sparks of their own 
kindling" — the vain but flattering hopes of self- 
righteousness ; or they are blinded and betrayed by 
the arts of false teachers, crying ' peace, peace/ 
when there is no peace. It is not difficult to incite 
men in this condition when opportunity serves, to acts 
of popular violence in order to extinguish the light 
that annoys them. And God permits the trial, 
that the spirits of men may thus be more fully 
tested; and that the transforming power of the 
Gospel may appear more conspicuous and glorious 
by the vivid contrast with the evil it has come to 
expose and destroy. Hence the precepts : " Render 
to no man evil for evil ; but ever follow that which 
is good, both among yourselves and towards all 
men." " Be not overcome of evil, but overcome 
evil with good." " Love your enemies ; bless them 
that curse you ; do good unto them that despitefully 
use you, and persecute you ; that ye may be the 
children of your Father which is in Heaven." The 
happy effects of obedience to these precepts in the 



72 MEMOIR OF DR. COTE 

history of the persecuted Christians of St. Pie, as 
recorded in this volume, will recur to every mind 
in this connexion. The right of appeal in such 
cases to the protection of the civil power, is beyond 
question, and in some extreme cases, it is equally 
clear that its justice may he invoked in redress of 
wanton injuries ) but when justice has pronounced in 
our favor, then to temper its action with mercy, 
and repay good for evil, is not more the peculiar 
glory of the Gospel than it is its peculiar power of 
winning new victories and nobler triumphs for the 
Truth. Such has been the case at the Grande 
Ligne Mission. i 



Memoir of Mrs. M. f. Coif. 



MEMOIR. 



No one who has read the tender and beautiful 
letter of Dr. Cote to his wife, immediately after his 
conversion, can be indifferent to her character and 
history. The following sk'etch is compiled from a 
letter of Madame Feller, published in the Grande 
Ligne Mission Register of 1851, addressed to the 
Ladies' Associations auxiliary to the Mission, and 
from a few other materials illustrative of her con- 
version, and of her feelings in view of her husband's 
death, and in expectation of her own. 

Mrs. Cote's parents were English Roman Catholics. 
They trained her up strictly in their own faith, to 
which she became sincerely attached. She spent 
several years of her life in a convent, while recei- 
ving her education; and when afterwards married 
to Dr. Cote, she was a devout Roman Catholic, 
submissive to all the teachings of her church. At 
that time, indeed, Dr. Cote himself was still within 
the pale of the Romish church ; and when he with- 
drew, and became by degrees an Infidel, his wife 
applied herself the more diligently to her religious 

(75) 



76 MEMOIR OP MRS. COTE. 

exercises ; performing twice as many as before, in 
the fond hope that a part might be imputed ,to her 
beloved husband ! Whole nights were sometimes 
spent in repeating her prayers for him, with weeping 
agony. 

The time of u the two rebellions" in Canada, in 
which her husband, from his patriotic zeal, took so 
prominent a part, was marked by many misfortunes, 
and filled with bitter grief to Mrs. Cote. Separated 
from her husband, for whose life she constantly 
trembled, she saw her house plundered and burnt; 
sick, and with two young children, she found herself 
destitute of every thing, in a severe season, until a 
generous friend furnished her the means of seeking 
a new abode. Even then she cruelly suffered both 
bodily and mentally, as long as she was unable to 
join her husband in his place of exile. But that 
place of exile was a scene of mercy, from which was 
dated the happiness of their future lives. It was 
there, through the grace of God, that Dr, Cote was 
brought to the knowledge of the Truth ; and his 
wife, perceiving the happy change produced in 
him, was convinced it was the work of God, and 
subsequently led to seek the same blessing. 

The result was not immediate. After receiving the 
French Bible sent by her husband, she was still too 
much under the influence of the Romish church to 
dare to read it. But one day when riding out alone 



MEMOIR OF MRS. COTE. 77 

in her brother's carriage, she met an elderly English 
gentleman of her acquaintance, who in the course 
of conversation informed her that he was going to 
attend a prayer meeting at the Grande Ligne Mis- 
sion. She expressed her astonishment that he 
should go to the worship of fanatics and deceivers. 
He told her that she was greatly mistaken — that 
they were not bad people, but simple Bible Chris- 
tians, whose chief desire was to follow Jesus Christ 
— and begged her to go with him to the meeting, 
and judge for herself. She hesitated some time, 
but at length from the confidence she felt in his 
integrity, and the recollection of her husband's 
happy change, she determined to go. There she 
heard for the first time in her life, the word of God 
read, and her heart was touched with its truths, and 
with the prayers that followed. On returning to 
her brother's house, where she then resided, she 
took up with trembling earnestness the neglected 
Bible, and prayerfully resolved to follow her hus- 
band's advice, and make it her guide to salvation. 
But in order to do this she soon found it would be 
necessary to incur the displeasure of all her Roman 
Catholic friends, and indeed to be banished from 
their society. The house of her brother could no 
longer be her home, nor would her own father 
receive her. Her mind was torn with conflicting 
emotions, but the path of duty appeared plain. She 



78 MEMOIR OF MRS. COTE. 

determined to join her husband in exile, with her 
two little ones. Afterwards she sought the spiritual 
aid of the Christians of Grande Ligne, that she 
might find rest to her troubled conscience, in the 
only true way revealed in the Gospel. 

"Then," says Madame Feller, "with the sim- 
plicity of a child, she came and asked us to receive 
her, and instruct her in the way of life. I shall 
never forget the blessed moment in which her heart 
understood the way of salvation, and received the 
grace of God. Mr. Roussy was explaining to her 
the third chapter of the Gospel of John, when 
suddenly she exclaimed, l What unction comes upon 
me ! my soul is filled with it ! my body even is 
impressed by it !' She had just been enabled to 
believe that God so loved the world, that he gave 
his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in 
him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. 
Three weeks afterwards she went to relate to her 
husband what God had done for her soul." 

This all-important change occurred in 1841, and 
was decisive of her future course. On leaving the 
Romish church, as was foreseen, Mrs. Cote was 
abandoned by her relatives. This was very painful 
to her feelings ; but she enjoyed the full consolations 
of the Gospel ; and longed to impart them to others 
by every means in her power. Hence when her 
husband resolved to become a Missionary, she joined 



MEMOIR OF MRS. COTE. 79 

him with all her heart, and remained attached to 
this blessed work until her death. Many instances 
might be given to show the fervor of her zeal and 
love. On this point Madame Normandeau says, in 
a letter to her daughter : — 

" No one knows better than yourself, how truly 
your dear mother's spirit was a missionary one — 
though she never took the name of missionary, and 
in her humility felt that she was not one. She 
sacredly improved every opportunity, daily provi- 
dence and circumstances offered, to bring forward 
Jesus as the Saviour of sinners. The pedlar offer- 
ing his wares, and the pauper soliciting aid, will 
alike remember her earnest appeals to their con- 
sciences, and the fervid simplicity with which she told 
them the story of the Cross. She ranked herself 
among the poorest of Christians, but , 0, she was 
rich in faith, and ever felt that she was an inheritor 
of the precious promises." 

The two leading features of her character were 
simplicity of faith and gratefulness of affection. She 
received the Holy Scriptures and enjoyed them as 
a child ; and like David took delight in numbering 
the many tokens of the goodness of God, and giving 
Him thanks for them all. 

Under the heavy stroke which so suddenly 
bereaved her of her husband, Mrs. Cote was stronger 
and more sustained than her friends had dared to 



80 MEMOIR OF MRS. COTE. 

hope. She was silent and opened not her mouth, 
because it was God that had done it. The follow- 
ing letter to Mrs. J. L. Seddinger of Philadelphia, 
written about six months after her husband's death, 
lays open the recesses of her bleeding, but submis- 
sive heart : — 

Fort George, (C. E.,) March 19, 1851. 

Dear Sister in the Lord : — Yours, dated Novem- 
ber 1st, was handed to me by Madame Feller in 
due season. I would have answered it long ere 
this, could I have made up my mind to write 
concerning the death of my dear departed husband. 
But it was impossible. I could not muster courage 
sufficient to do it. To-day I was in hopes I could ; 
but how little do we know our own strength ! Every 
pore is opened anew, and I feel as I did the first 
week of his death. Yet I mourn not as many do ; 
for I know that he is happy, and that he is with 
his God and our God. What a blessed and happy 
thought ! Delivered from all temptations and sins, 
no sorrow can now reach him, for he is forever 
enjoying the bliss of the redeemed. 

" Yes, dear sister, my loss is great, and deeply 
do I feel it. Notwithstanding I feel that the Lord 
has indeed been the widow's God, and that He has 
answered the prayers of my dear friends; for I 
have been wonderfully sustained in all my trials. 



MEMOIR OF MRS. COTE. 81 

Although not one of my own relations has been 
near me since his death, the Lord has raised other 
friends ; and how precious and soothing have been 
their sympathies in the hour of affliction. Please 
remember me affectionately to all the dear friends 
in Philadelphia. Often have I heard my dear hus- 
band speak in raptures of the kindness that was 
manifested towards him in your family and many 
others in the same place; and how truly did he 
realize that the religion of Jesus is a religion of 
love ! 

" The little flock in this place felt, and still feel 
his loss very much. Mr. Roussy has taken his 
place, and I am happy to say the work is still pros- 
pering, and many souls are coming to the know- 
ledge of the blessed Gospel. It is the Lord's work 
and not man's; therefore He will take care of it, 
and raise efficient laborers to perform it. 

" My dear children are, thank God, pretty well. 
I cannot say as much for myself. My health has 
been very poorly all the winter. 

" Please remember me in your prayers, also my 
dear little ones, that we may all meet at the throne 
of grace. I shall be most happy to hear from you 
whenever you can make it convenient. In the 
mean time believe me, my dear sister, to remain 

1 Yours affectionately in the Lord, 

"Margaret Y. Cote." 



82 MEMOIR OF MRS. COTE* 

It will be seen from this letter that Mrs. Cote 
was then in feeble health ; and under the impression 
that she would not long remain in this world, she 
made all her arrangements accordingly. Provi- 
dentially two years before, her husband had insured 
his life, and the avails of this foresight now came 
into her possession. Deeply thankful for the means 
thus furnished her to bring up her children, she 
removed in the summer to Grand Ligne, as the 
most suitable place for the education she intended 
to give them. But before the house she was build- 
ing there was ready to receive her, she was gone to 
that house not made with hands, eternal in the 
heavens. 

"From the commencement of her sickness," 
writes Madam Feller, " she had no hope of recovery, 
and her .maternal heart had a moment of anguish 
at the thought of leaving her children. But very 
soon she humbled herself for this want of confi- 
dence, and with a simple and firm faith, confided 
her children to the care of her Heavenly Father. 
With the most perfect confidence she left them to 
the Missionary family, saying : ( I know my chil- 
dren are your children/ 

" From that time not a cloud obscured her faith ; 
ehe consoled her children and her friends. 6 Do 
not cry/ she would say, * but since you love me, 
rejoice; my soul is going to appear before God/ 



MEMOIR OF MRS. COTE. 83 

Hearing somebody weep, she said, l Do not weep ; 
there is cause for rejoicing; a poor sinner saved by 
grace is going to appear before God.' She spoke 
to those around her of the happiness she enjoyed 
in the peace and love of her Saviour, and ceased 
not until her last breath to render thanks unto Him, 
for the mercy He had shown." 

The following letters from Madame Normandeau 
to Rev. Mr. Gillette of Philadelphia, and to Mrs. 
Cote's eldest daughter, th^n in a Female Seminary 
in the same city, will furnish many interesting 
particulars. The first is dated, 

" September 19, 1851. 

" Dear Bro. Gillette : — I leave the bedside of our 
almost sainted sister just to tell you, in all tender- 
ness, to prepare the mind of our dear for the 

intelligence I have to communicate, that her dear 
mother is dying gloriously. I will write again when 
all shall be over." 

Under the same date, Madame Normandeau 
writes to the daughter : 

"Here I am, dearest , with a sad and 

trembling, yet happy heart, writing. Your dear 
mother's disease is gaining ground, and she seems 
like some happy, bright, celestial bird, just ready 
for a homeward flight. Your dear mother feels 
that you are just where God has placed you, and 



84 MEMOIR OF MRS. COTE. 

would not have you here; she could not bear a 
second parting with you, and commends you to her 
and your God for consolation. That you should 
have left so short a time since, I do not regret, your 
dear mother seems so happy in leaving you where 
you are. Try and imitate her, dearest, and do not 
murmur. There is no hope of her recovery. How 
can I leave you ? But I must. May Jesus take 
you to his loving arms." 

Again, two days late*, the same kind friend 
writes as follows : 

"My chamber, Sunday, 21. 

u My own precious : — How can I acquit myself 
of the painful task now devolving upon me ? God 
must be my strength, and yours, too, dearest, to en- 
able you to bear the tidings this sheet will contain. 
0, that you had the sad pleasure of being with us; 
but since the good hand of God has denied you 
this, I will give you many precious details. Ever 
since I wrote you last, your precious mother has 
been gradually sinking, and at three o' clock this 
morning her spirit winged its flight to mansions 
above, there to enjoy a glorious Sabbath free from 
sin. 

What a privilege it has been to attend her ! 
Such faith ! such songs of praise and gratitude ! 
such entire submission to her Father's will and 
care! A week ago to-day she thought some of 



MEMOIR OF MRS. COTE. 85 

coming to church; but I discouraged her in my 
morning visit, fearing the effort might bring on her 
partially checked diarrhoea. 

Monday she seemed quite feeble, but thought 
with care she should soon be well ; though she said 
she scarcely desired it, for she felt her work on earth 
was done, and she only longed to lay her dust beside 
her ' good man's/ and to go to rest above. This 
brought on much conversation about you all, which 
I shall long remember, and she closed with the as- 
surance that the Lord would do all things well. 

On Tuesday morning I found her so much bet- 
ter, that we supposed nothing was wanting but to 
build her up with nourishing food. Towards noon 
she told me she was in great distress. Madame 
Feller found her suffering from what she supposed 
was indigestion. The spasm passed, and left her 
weak but otherwise easy. I spoke again of sending 
for Dr. White. She replied, [ He can do me no 
good; husband told me I could receive no good 
from the doctors, that I was nearly done, and must 
not take medicine; but on going to St. Pie on 
Thursday, if you have a mind to see him yourself, 
tell him how I am, I have no objections.' We 
were then all intending to go to St. Pie, to the ex- 
amination of the girls' school. I replied, 'We 
shall not go and leave you so ill. I shall stay and 
take care of you.' 



86 MEMOIR OF MRS. COTE. 

Wednesday Dr. White came, and said her case 
was very critical, but he would try what medicine 
would do. Your mother dreaded the effect upon 
her weak frame; but summoning her courage, she 
said, i Do all you like, I will do my duty/ Your 
dear mother tried all with wonderful energy, not- 
withstanding her almost deathly weakness, feeling 
at the same time confident that her end was near. 
She suffered comparatively but little pain, for the 
disease was treated most gently. For twenty-four 
hours after first taken on Tuesday, she suffered 
keenly, and often prayed for relief with submission. 
Wonderful relief was given, and she said to me, 
{ What a good Lord my Lord is ! I asked for a lit- 
tle relief, and he has takan away all my pain ; he 
has always done more than I asked/ 

Her frame of mind from the first was most 
heavenly, rendering it truly edifying to be with 
her; we all esteemed it a high privilege. It was 
often with difficulty she could speak; but she said 
much. 0, how much she said, to her dear son Wol- 
frecl, praying him not to murmur, not to weep, for 
a soul was going to appear before its God. We 
shall never forget the emphasis with which she said 
often to us, u Pas une larme, c 'est une liaison de 
joie, par ce qu une ame va paraitre devant son 
Dieu." "Not a tear, it is a house of joy, a soul 
is going to appear before its God." 



MEMOIR OF MRS. COTE. 87 

When too feeble to do it herself, she hade me 
draw her wedding ring, and said merely, i Rose/ 
I have the precious relic for you, and 0, how you 
will prize it. What prayer she offered for you ! 
'Tell dear Rose I have nothing more to say to her, 
she knows my wishes; my desire is that she may be 
all the Lord's, but tell her I loved her fondly ) I 
do not desire her back, it would be too painful for 
her to go back alone and motherless ; let her im- 
prove her great privileges and prepare for useful- 
ness/ 

Madame Feller was devoted to her night and day 
after she fell seriously ill, and was present with 
many others to close her eyes in death. Though 
almost speechless for twelve hours before her death, 
she was conscious, and knew us all until half an 
hour before her end, when she simply breathed 
shorter and shorter until life was extinct. Heavenly 
peace is stamped upon her lovely clay ; the spirit 
left its impress there as it passed to heaven. 

0, with what affection did she kiss us all, and 
point upward ! I know I shall not tell you all, for 
my heart, though happy for her, is sick for us and 
you, and head and limbs are weary. The dear chil- 
dren, almost sick with weeping, are already estab- 
lished a3 ours. The Lord teach us all our duty in 
reference to them. 

Little Augusta, patting her mother's pale cheek, 



88 MEMOIR OF MRS. COTE. 

said one day to her, — " God will take you up to 
heaven, and you will have no more pain, and sister 
Etta will be Madame Feller's little girl, and I will 
go to Mr. and Mrs. Normandeau. I shall cry for 
you, but I shall know you are no more sick/ Au- 
gusta now insists that you are all mine, ' Rose and 
all/ 

All the fountains of Madame Feller's large heart 
are opened for you all. I told Augusta she should 
love two mothers, and she added, c One papa/ put- 
ting her arms in her own fascinating way around 
Mr. Normandeau' s neck. Dear little ones, they lit- 
tle know their loss, it is you, dear, and Wolfred, 
who will feel it most 'keenly. You have my sym- 
pathies, my prayers, for I well know your feelings 
of desolation. Though years have rolled since I 
was written motherless, the memory is fresh, the 
heart gushes still. I well know that you can have 
but one mother. We know you are among the tru- 
est, tenderest friends, though comparative strangers. 
They will ever be precious to you as your parents' 
friends. One short year has taken both those pa- 
rents from you. cruel discipline ! but given we 
know in love. May you all, dear children, receive 
it at a Father's hand, and bow submissive to the 
rod, drinking the bitter cup, as your sainted mother 
said, and seeking the blessings that will surely ac» 
company such chastisement. Mr. N. begs me to 



MEMOIR OF MRS. COTE. 89 

give you his love and sympathy in this trying hour, 
and that your soul may be abundantly blessed and 
filled with holy consolation, is the prayer of your 
sincere friend and mother. C. A. N. 

We shall close this sketch with the words of 
Madame Feller, in her letter of Nov. 4th, 1851, 
referred to in the beginning, addressed to the aux- 
iliary Ladies' Associations. 

u Ladies and dear Sisters: — Since I last wrote 
you, it has pleased God to cause us to pass through 
affliction and mourning, by taking to Himself our 
dear sister, Mrs. Cote. It was on the 21st of Sep- 
tember that she left this world, after a short sick- 
ness, during which she edified and consoled us. 
Firmly established upon her most holy faith, she 
waited for her Saviour, and has responded with joy 
to His call to pass from this world to Him. 

" Our beloved sister was forty-four years old. It 
was ten years since she believed in Christ,* and not 
yet a year since the companion of her life had pre- 
ceded her into eternity. 

* We have been informed by her daughter that one of the 
circumstances which forcibly impressed Mrs. Cote's mind 
on first joining her husband at Swanton in 1841, was the 
sacred observance of the Sabbath by Protestant Christians. It 
was new to her, and tended greatly to remove her early preju- 
dices, by convincing her that tbey were really influenced by 
the fear of God. This is a fact worth remembering. 

8* 



90 MEMOIR OF MRS. COTE. 

" And now, dear sisters, I ask your sympathies 
and your prayers for our dear orphans, and for those 
•who take the place of the parents they have lost. 
u In the faith and love of Jesus, 

" Your affectionate and grateful, 

"Henriette Feller." 



HISTORY OF THE 



(Sranh lignt MibbUu. 



(91) 



HISTORY 

OF THE 

GRANDE LIGNE MISSION. 

Canada, as all are aware, was discovered and 
colonized by the French as early as 1608. They 
brought with them the social and religious institu- 
tions of the mother country, which, as plants set 
in a new and rich soil, flourished and took deep 
root. The political institutions, it is true, under- 
went a change at the time of the conquest by 
Great Britain ; but this did not in the least affect 
the moral condition of the people. They were 
Roman Catholics, and continued so to be ; and the 
more sincerely and truly, as the poison of Infidelity 
was neither instilled, nor was the demoralization 
of the French Revolution felt among them. Popery 
has held an uninterrupted and undisputed sway in 
Canada for about two centuries, and has had a fair 
chance of showing what it can do. Its fruits have 
been evident : ignorance, stagnation, apathy, super- 
stition, and poverty have marked its reign. In a 
religious point of view, such was their servitude to 

(93) 



94 HISTORY OF THE 

the priests, that every avenue to their minds and 
hearts seemed effectually and hopelessly closed, 
and darkness, gross darkness, covered the land. 
Like ancient Galilee, before the Advent of Christ, 
the people sat in the region and shadow of death. 

And, what may seem astonishing, no efforts of 
any consequence had been made to evangelize them, 
until the coming of the Swiss Missionaries. This 
fact, however, can easily be accounted for : the only 
people that could have attempted this work spoke 
a different language, and moreover, as conquerors 
usually are, were looked upon with prejudice, and 
oftentimes with hatred. The fact of their being 
English and conquerors, was sufficient to exclude 
them from all access to the French population. 

However, G-od had designs of mercy towards the 
French Canadian people, and light was soon to 
dawn upon them, which we hope will set no more. 



The revival of religion, with which Switzer- 
land was visited about 1820, awakened, as it always 
does, a missionary spirit. The efforts of Chris- 
tians for the conversion of souls, embraced at first 
their fellow-countrymen, then their neighbors, the 
Romanists of France, and at a later period their 
attention was also directed towards Canada. It is 
worthy of notice here, that it was in the heart of ail 



GRANDE LIGNE MISSION. 95 

humble believer that the zeal for the conversion of 
the French Canadians was first kindled. Impressed 
with the importance -of sending the Gospel to this 
people, he would say to his pastor and his brethren : 
" Do you pray for Canada ? Oh ! let us pray for 
Canada I" 

This prayer, so evidently the fruit of the Holy 
Spirit, was soon answered. The Rev. H. Olivier, 
pastor of a Christian church at Lausanne, left his 
native country in 1834, for this country, intending 
to preach the Gospel among the Indians. But, 
seeing that the French population was deprived of 
every opportunity of becoming acquainted with the 
Truth, as it is in Jesus, he resolved to settle at 
Montreal, and there he immediately commenced 
his missionary labors. He began to preach in a 
school-house, kindly offered to him by the Method- 
ists for this object. 

The conversion of a young Canadian, and of 
seven or eight Irish Romanists under Mr. Olivier' s 
ministry, and their union with the Methodist and 
Baptist churches, aroused the priests, who put forth 
their most strenuous efforts in order to kill in its 
germ this evangelistic work. The irritation among 
the Irish was so great that they went to attack the 
Baptist church with the determination of carrying 
off a young Irish woman who was going to be 
baptized. 



96 HISTORY OF THE 

The French Canadians were more quiet ; never- 
theless the effect of the excitement was immediately 
felt. The congregation began to decrease, and the 
services in the school house had to be abandoned 
for want of hearers; from that time Mr. Olivier 
held meetings in his own house, but these were not 
more successful. However, he had the pleasure 
of seeing two other individuals converted to God, 
and this was an encouragement and an earnest of 
future success. 

Mr. Olivier, notwithstanding all the opposition 
and difficulties he met with from the enemies of 
the Gospel, felt confident that a wide door of useful- 
ness was opened, and he felt greatly desirous that 
some of his brethren at Lausanne should come and 
join him. He wrote to his friends in Switzerland, 
placing the subject before their minds, and urging 
them to consider its claims upon their Christian 
charity. 

There was at that time in the church over which 
Mr. Olivier had been placed, a lady who was distin- 
guished for piety and holy zeal. After experience 
of the vanity and nothingness of worldly pleasures, 
she had been led to Christ, and had taken in ear- 
nest the profession of that faith which worketh by 
love. In imitation of the example of her blessed 
Redeemer, she went about doing good; visiting 
the sick and the afflicted, and administering to 



GRANDE LIGNE MISSION. 97 

them the sweet consolations of the Gospel. Not 
avaricious, as many professors of religion appear to 
be, of the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus, 
the desire of her heart was to impart the good news 
to others. She reflected with emotion on the sad 
condition of those who are deprived of the blessings 
of true religion, and felt a strong desire to do her 
part towards the evangelization of the unconverted. 
This desire became a decisive call after the death 
of her husband and of her only child. 

It is interesting to trace the origin of the prepa- 
ration of this Christian lady for the work in which 
she has been so abundantly blessed. u Since the 
death of the good husband and the dear child which 
God in his love had given me, and in his love 
took from me," wrote Madam Feller two or three 
years after her coming to Canada, " my heart has 
been filled with the desire of being devoted exclu- 
sively to the service of the Lord. At first, I sup- 
pressed this sentiment, which I knew was very 
contrary to the taste and wishes of my family ; and 
also because I was afraid of deceiving myself in 
cherishing it. But after a certain time I was con- 
vinced that it was the call of God, and resisted it 
no longer ; and during the seven or eight years 
which followed, I besought the Lord continually to 
open before me the way, and to show me what he 
would give me to do in his service. Quite differ- 
9 



98 HISTORY OF THE 

exit business occupied me during this time ; nothing 
however could satisfy my soul but the love and 
service of my Saviour." 

With such feelings and dispositions, Madame 
Feller was likely to receive Mr. Olivier' s call. 
The communications of Mr. and Mrs. 0., respect- 
ing the idolatry, ignorance, and abject condition of 
the Canadian people took strong hold upon her 
heart. This people which spoke her native tongue, 
soon seemed to her the one to which tho Lord 
designed to send her. " This call," says she, " coin- 
ciding with the expectation of my faith and the 
circumstances in which I was placed, and being in 
answer to a new testimony which I had sought of 
the Lord, I was convinced that it was his will that 
I should go to Canada, and I accordingly replied to 
our friends that I would go, and commenced prepa- 
rations for my departure." 

Mr. Louis Roussy, a minister of the Gospel, who 
had also been led to choose Canada as his sphere 
of labor, concluded to start at the same time. 

It was in the month of August, 1835, that they 
set out, and came first to Havre in France, from 
which place they intended to sail by the first packet. 
But owing to different circumstances, they were 
obliged to wait there over three weeks. 

This time was not lost; it was spent in spreading 
the knowledge of the truth. Mr. Roussy did the 



GRANDE LIGNE MISSION. 99 

work of an evangelist and colporteur upon the 
wharf and in the ships, whilst Madame Feller visited 
in company with a Christian sister a number of 
families, to which she endeavoured to do good. 

They were able to sail on the 20th of Septem- 
ber. They landed at New York after a happy 
voyage of thirty days, and proceeded immediately 
to Montreal, where they arrived on the 31st of 
October, 1835. 

II. 

Ten days after, an opening presented itself. 
Mr. Roussy was invited to take charge of a school 
on the Grande Ligne* of Lacadie. He had not 
come with the intention of pursuing the calling 
of a school-master, but he thought this situation 
would afford him a good opportunity of laying the 
foundation for future usefulness in that neighbor- 
hood, and therefore responded cheerfully to the 
call. As for Madame Feller, she spent the winter 
at Montreal. In conjunction with Madame Olivier, 
she opened a school for the instruction of French 
Canadian children. Much of her time was also 
spent in visiting the Roman Catholics in their 
houses, for the purpose of reading the Scriptures, 

* A Grande Ligne in Canada is a street generally straight 
as an arrow, from five to seven miles in length, and more or 
less remote from the villages. 

LOFC. 



100 HISTORY OF THE 

and conversing with them on the truths of the 
Gospel. By these means, she obtained an accurate 
knowledge of the Canadian character, and was pre- 
pared for her subsequent efforts. 

Upon their arrival, Madame Feller and Mr. 
Roussy had found Mr. and Mrs. Olivier sick — 
having been exceedingly tried by the climate. 
Their feeble health continued declining, and their 
physician advised them to return without delay to 
Switzerland. JBut, before taking this resolution, a 
great struggle took place in their souls. They 
could not consent, they thought, to leave Madame 
Feller upon this rude and strange soil, and they 
never would have been able to persuade her to 
return with them to their dear country. u I was 
so sure of having followed Jesus in coming to 
Canada," says Madame Feller, "that no human 
consideration would have induced me to leave. I 
was happier in remaining there alone with Him, 
than I would have been in following my best and 
dearest friends in returning to our native home." 

Mr. and Mrs. Olivier had to start alone. God 
had sent them to Canada to lead the way for others, 
and now he called them back to Switzerland. 
Humbly bowing down before this mysterious dis- 
pensation of their Heavenly Father, they left in 
the month of May of the following year. God 
admirably sustained Madame Feller in this trial. 



GRANDE LIGNE MISSION. 101 

She says : " I had foreseen before leaving Switzer- 
land the possibility of being placed in this situ- 
ation. It is not with delusions that I had entered 
on this fine career. I had sat down to count the 
cost before building the tower. I had measured 
beforehand all the difficulties of a missionary life, 
and I had not forgotten isolation, abandonment, 
poverty, even death at the hospital. I could not then 
hesitate a moment upon the course to pursue. I have 
come to this country to labor for the advancement 
of the kingdom of Christ ; I had hoped I could do 
so with my friends Olivier ; but since it is not the 
good pleasure of my Father, I will do in my hum- 
ble sphere what He may confide to my hands. 
When I call to mind all I have asked of the Lord, 
I do not wonder at being led in this path, as for a 
long time I have hungered and thirsted to live 
with Him and for Him. . . . Oh ! how favorable 
will my position be to crucify myself, and lead 
me to seek the fullness of Christ, which shall real- 
ize that for which I have so much sighed." 

Mr. Roussy, it has already been stated, had 
undertaken the charge of a school in the parish of 
Lacadie. Keeping constantly in view the object 
of his coming to Canada, and anxious to see souls 
brought to the Saviour, he did not confine his 
instructions to the communication of general know- 
ledge, but embraced in addition the truths and 
9* 



102 HISTORY OF THE 

duties of religion; and his spare time was em- 
ployed in visiting the people, and making known 
to them, in a familiar manner, the way of salva- 
tion. One day as he was by the bed-side of a 
poor sick man to whom he was endeavoring to 
point out Christ crucified, a woman present was 
struck with what he spoke, and judging he might 
preach, she invited him to go, and hold a meeting 
in her own house on the following Sabbath. He 
was overjoyed with this opening, and went on 
the Sabbath evening, as he had agreed to. The 
neighbors had gathered, and the house was full. 
They listened with attention and interest to Mr. 
Roussy ; s discourse, and invited him to preach again. 
He appointed the Sabbath and Thursday evenings, 
and thus was sown the first good seed from which 
has sprung the ever progressing and increasing 
work of the Grande Ligne Mission. This Sabbath 
in which the Gospel was preached in its purity 
to attentive and anxious hearers, deserves to be 
remembered in the religious history of Canada, and 
this Ligne will ever be considered Grande (great,) 
for it has been marked by the finger of God himself, 
as the cradle of a great and important work. 

The meetings were sustained and were attended 
by some forty persons. But the priests, informed 
of these labors, began to preach violently against 
him, calling him a fool, an innovator, a heretic, and 



GRANDE LIGNE MISSION. 103 

all their fruitful minds could suggest, And through 
their efforts and influence Mr. Roussy was soon dis- 
missed from his office. He was then fully at liberty 
to give himself to the propagation of the Gospel. 

This preaching, notwithstanding the opposition 
of the Romish clergy of the neighborhood, continued 
to be attended by several persons, and it was 
blessed to the conversion of two or three of them. 
Mr. Roussy began to travel extensively, preaching 
the Gospel wherever he could get access to the 
people, particularly in St. Johns, Sherington, Na- 
pierville, and Henryburgh. 

III. 

During this time Madame Feller was residing at 
St. Johns. She had gone there, after Mr. Olivier' s 
departure, hoping to find an opportunity for useful- 
ness; but her endeavors failed of success through 
the opposition of the priest, and her attention was 
ultimately directed to Grand Ligne. " Judging/ ' 
she says, " it would be best to associate my labors 
with those of brother Roussy for the advancement 
of the kingdom of the Lord, I visited the different 
places where he was received, in order to fix upon 
one where I might station myself. In going to 
Grande Ligne twice a week, I soon saw that this 
was my place. Several families had already aban- 
doned Popery, and the adults as well as the children 



104 HISTOBY OF THE 

needed a school. One difficulty was the want of a 
place of residence ; there was not a single house 
where I could be lodged. The family, in whose 
house preaching had been regularly held, offered 
me their garret, in which I had a chamber fitted up 
of 20 feet in length, 10 in width, and 6 in height. 




The House in which Madame Feller began her School. 

This I divided into two apartments that it might 
serve for a bed-room and school-room, The prepa- 
ration of this diminutive abode was for me an act 
of faith. I was without the means of defraying 
the expense, as all that I possessed had been 
absorbed by the purchase of what was indispensable 
for keeping house upon the most moderate scale, 
and aid upon which I had calculated, failed me. 



GRANDE LIGNE MISSION. 105 

But these difficulties did not arrest rue in my 
course. I felt assured that my task was prepared 
at Grande Ligne, and that my Heavenly Father 
intended to grant me a shelter there. Unknown to 
any Missionary Society, sent by God alone, I waited 
upon Him, and according to his promise I was not 
confounded. I was able to pay for fitting up my 
garret, through a friend of the Lord and of my 
work, who loaned me the necessary sum." 

Madame Feller became a resident at Grande 
Ligne, in October, 1836. She immediately opened 
a school with twelve children, belonging to families 
that had left the Romish church. Soon the num- 
ber increased to twenty, and it was sustained in 
spite of the opposition and clamor of the priests. 
It was a season of arduous yet delightful effort. 
At nine in the morning, the children assembled for 
instruction, which was continued until noon, re- 
sumed at two P. M., and closed at five. Not con- 
tent with the labor of instructing the children in 
the day, she opened an evening school for adults, 
with twelve scholars; in addition to the regular 
pupils, a considerable number attended the conclu- 
ding exercises, which consisted of the reading of 
the Scriptures, familiar conversation on the pas- 
sages read, and prayer. So interesting were these 
exercises, that they were often prolonged till mid- 



106 HISTORY OF THE 

night, and were eminently effectual in enlightening 
the minds of the poor Canadians. 

These engagements, together with visits to those 
in the neighborhood who were willing to listen to 
the Gospel, and kind attention to the sick, severely 
tasked the energies of the missionaries during the' 
winter. In the following June, 1837, the heat 
being insupportable in the garret, the exercises 
were conducted in a barn. About that time the 
Rev. J. Grilmour, then Pastor of the Baptist Church 
at Montreal, visited the Station, and being deeply 
affected by the inconveniences and privations en- 
dured by Madame Feller, undertook to provide 
some suitable accommodations. As a temporary 
measure a small house was erected, chiefly by means 
of contributions from Christian friends at Montreal, 
Champlain, and Plattsburg, which was ready for 
occupation in the month of October. That build- 
ing served for a dwelling, a school-house, and a 
place of worship, till the mission house was com- 
menced in the Fall of 1838. 

A small church, organized in June, 1837, and 
consisting at first of six members, numbered in 
September sixteen communicants ; and besides these 
converts, many showed favorable dispositions in 
regard to the Gospel, so that the missionaries began 
to be very much encouraged. 

The hour of trial, however, was drawing nigh. 



GRANDE EIGNE MISSION. 107 

The fire of persecution was soon to be kindled* 
against them, and they were to suffer for the 
Truth's sake. 

In the course of October, the memorable insur- 
rection in Canada broke out. The Catholics around 
Grande Ligne, long incensed by the preaching, the 
school, and the success of these devoted mission- 
aries, and supposing that the law could no longer 
punish their violence, took advantage of the reign- 
ing confusion, and commenced a series of malignant 
outrages. Mr. Roussy was deliberately shot at, 
but was providentially preserved. A mob assem- 
bled around the house of Madame Feller at night, 
to the number of several hundreds, who with fright- 
ful yells and horrid imprecations, ordered the mis- 
sionaries to leave the country, threatening to set 
fire to their dwelling, and murder them, if they 
should refuse to comply. In the same manner they 
went to the houses of all who had renounced Popery, 
and commanded them either to abandon their new 
religion or their country, under pain of fire and 
sword. 

Such disorder prevailed in the country, that the 
government could afford them no protection; and 
hence after serious and prayerful consideration, they 
unanimously resolved to give up all, and flee to the 
United States. " On the first of November/ ' savs 
Madame Feller, "with shocking roads, we set out. 



108 HISTORY OF THE 

sixty in number, on our way to Champlain, (N. Y.,) 
where we hoped to find our city of refuge. Our 
poor friends were only able to take with them their 
small baggage ; all their crops remained behind, and 
were lost to them. They were all without money ; 
those who had only a cow were obliged to sell it in 
order to pay the entrance duty at the American 
custom house. To human view, nothing could be 
more sad and miserable than this fugitive band, but 
to the Christian eye, it had its bright side, as it was 
for the name of Jesus that it was reduced to such a 
pitiable condition." 

The inhabitants of Champlain provided with 
great liberality for the urgent wants of those perse- 
cuted Christians, and were especially kind to Mad- 
ame Feller and Mr. Roussy. 

At the expiration of two months, they returned. 
All their dwellings had been preserved, but the 
deepest poverty awaited them, as their crops and 
furniture had been mostly carried off or destroyed. 
Still as the influence of the priests had been consid- 
erably weakened by the political events and dis- 
putes of the preceding year, and as the mission was 
enabled, in the spirit of Christian kindness, to pro- 
tect some of their own worst enemies from the retri- 
bution of re-established law, prejudices against 
them were diminished, and their influence among 
the people greatly increased. Many families hitherto 



GHANDE LIGNE MISSION. 109 

closed against them, became accessible to the preach- 
ing of the Gospel. 

The labors of the mission proceeded with in- 
creased success, during the year 1838 — Mr. Roussy 
being actively engaged in preaching at various sta- 
tions, and Madame Feller in the school, and in pri- 
vate visitation. But in the month of November, 
civil war again broke out around them, and their 
neighborhood became the scene of revolutionary 
operations. A prominent leader of the insurgents, 
who had always cherished deep hostility to the mis- 
sion, sent a band of armed horsemen to make Mr. 
Roussy a prisoner, and bring him to the camp. 
Through the appeals of Madame Feller, the angry 
troop, who came to the house full of rage, were 
softened and conciliated; they left Mr. R. in his 
own house, and pledged themselves that neither 
they nor their property should be molested during 
the war. The pledge given, was literally redeemed. 
While all around them were pillaged, and all who 
refused to join the insurgents voluntarily, were cru- 
elly taken prisoners, by the kind providence of God 
the mission family and property were untouched. 
When the disturbance ceased, they were enabled to 
be of essential service to great numbers of the 
Canadians, by their testimony before the magis- 
trates, and the consequence was a gratifying in- 
crease of influence to the mission. Women, with 
10 



110 HISTORY OF THE 

whom, till then, they had had little or no inter- 
course, came to Madame Feller, entreating her 
with tears, to use her influence to deliver their sons 
and husbands from arrest and danger. 

IV. 

The need of a Normal School, to train up 
young persons for teachers and colporteurs, was 
now deeply felt, as well as of a building suitable 
for such an institution. The missionaries saw how 
important it was to educate Canadian converts, who, 
according to their ability, would labor for the ad- 
vancement of God's kingdom among their fellow 
countrymen ; and after due consideration, purchased 
a piece of land, and, with a faith of which there 
are but few instances in the world, commenced to 
build upon it. Neither individuals, nor societies 
had pledged themselves to aid such an undertaking, 
but they felt assured it was of God, and nothing 
doubting they looked to Him for the necessary 
means. The building, fifty-eight feet in length by 
thirty-eight in width, was erected through the lib- 
erality of Christian friends, of various denomina- 
tions, especially in the United States ; for which 
liberality the mission was mostly indebted to the 
Rev. E. N. Kirk, of Boston. This gentleman, 
feeling a lively interest in this enterprise, travelled 
with Madame Feller, recommending her warmly to 



GRANDE EIGNE MISSION. Ill 

the Christian ladies of Boston, New York, Philadel- 
phia and other places, and was eminently successful 
in securing funds, as they were needed. 

The Mission House, commenced in the Summer 
of 1838, was set apart for the cause of God, on the 
9th of August, 1840. Mr. Kirk preached the ser- 
mon, on the words : — The people which sat in dark- 
ness, saw great light ; and to them which sat in the 
region and shadow of death, light is sprung up. — 
(Mat. iv., 16.) He dwelt eloquently upon the 
evangelical light, which had begun to dawn upon 
benighted Canada, and the need of its divine rays 
for every soul. Other ministers engaged in the 
services of this occasion, which were exceedingly 
interesting, and greatly blessed. 

After the erection of the Mission House, the 
good Providence of God was strikingly manifested 
in providing a teacher for the new institution. Mr. 
Normandeau, a Priest of the Roman Catholic 
Church, had been engaged as Professor in the 
Seminary at Quebec for five years. After a long 
season of doubt and anxiety on the subject of 
religion, being then in the neighborhood of Grande 
Ligne, he sought the aid of the Missionaries, and 
by their instrumentality was led to receive the 
truth as it is in Jesus. He engaged immediately 
in the good work, and was received as a fellow 
laborer with much joy and gratitude. Referring to 



112 HISTORY OF THE 

this event Madame Feller observed, in a letter to a 
friend at New York: — a Our oldest pupils had 
reached a point beyond which they could proceed 
no further ; more advanced instruction had become 
necessary, and it gave me pain to see the impossi- 
bility of attending myself to their lessons, with the 
multitude of other duties to fill up my days. I 
was often obliged either to break off from a recita- 
tion already begun, or to keep persons waiting who 
had come from several leagues distant; and this 
conflict was of every day's occurrence. Mr. Roussy, 
less occupied with details, could more easily appro- 
priate a few hours to the scholars, but absence from 
home, journeys and preaching, made it impossible 
to observe regularity, and the prospect before us 
presented only confusion and disorder, while we 
never felt so much the need of system and order in 
our school. Often we spread before the Lord our 
solicitude, entreating him to send prompt relief, 
and in our little faith we thought He could only 
answer us by sending out some one from Switzer- 
land : and behold, our God, so full of goodness, 
in order to encourage our faith, has given us what 
we dared not even ask for — a priest, converted under 
our own roof, as a brother, friend, and fellow 
laborer." 

Reviewing the history of the first five years of 
the Mission, in a letter dated November 1, 1841, 



GRANDE EIGNE MISSION. 113 

Mr. Roussy observed, " What a difference in our 
present position, in our prosperity, in our hopes; 
in fine, in every thing ! Then (1836) we were but 
two poor, feeble, weary beings; our dwelling was 
a miserable cabin, where, with our first converts, 
we worshiped God. We held a school in a barn ; 
and the enemy, in order to destroy this feeble com- 
mencement at a blow, drove us all out together. 
But now, behold us in a good and commodious 
stone house, founded by faith, and built by the 
gold and silver of the children of the Lord; in 
which are a beautiful chapel, two school rooms, an 
educational institution, where are instructed and 
supported eleven pupils, all converted, and pre- 
paring for the work of God, and with the prospect 
of having a greater number soon ; sixty Canadians, 
who have given their hearts to Jesus, and a goodly 
number of others rescued from the papacy. Oh ! 
what favors ! what abundance of grace I" 

V. 

A new field of activity was opened, the fol- 
lowing year, in St. Pie and its neighborhood — 
a parish forty-five miles east of Grande-Ligne. 
It pleased God to kindle the light of the Gospel in 
that district, by means of a New Testament given 
to a man of that place by Mr. Roussy, and of a 
Bible given to a woman by her son, a young man 
10* 



114 HISTORY OF THE 

employed in Massachusetts. These two possessors 
of the Word of Life met, and conversed together on 
the subject of religion. They both arrived at the 
conviction that they were not in the right way. 
And, anxious to become acquainted with the Truth, 
the man went to Grande Ligne for instructions, 
where he stayed three weeks. During that time he 
was converted, and when he had returned home, he 
hastened to tell the inquiring woman what great 
things the Lord had done for him. One of her 
eons, who heard of this man's religious experience, 
spoke of it to a neighbor, and he to another; the 
result of which was, that all these persons soon 
became concerned for their souls, and invited Mr. 
Koussy to come and teach them what they must do 
to be saved. Mr. Eoussy lost no time in complying 
with their invitation, and fifteen to twenty persons 
assembled to hear what he had to say to them from 
God ; who gave efficacy to his Word for doctrine, 
for reproof, and for instruction. Eight of them 
immediately abandoned the Romish church, whose 
error had just been exhibited to them, and joy- 
fully submitted to the teachings of the Bible. 

St. Pie was alternately visited by Messrs. Koussy, 
Normandeau and Callier, and the good work con- 
tinued to go on and prosper. During the summer, 
a school was opened in a small room lent by one 
of the converted families, in which the meeting were 



GRxlNDE LIGNE MISSION. 115 

also held. The erection of a building for the use 
of the Mission became urgent ; and the missionaries 
looking to the "Bank"' of their Heavenly Father 
received the necessary funds for this object 

VI. 

The joyful sound of the Gospel had also 
been heard at Berea, in the township of Milton, 
some twelve miles from St. Pie. Mr. Beaudin, a 
Canadian converted in the United States, and then 
engaged in the field of the Grande Ligne Mission, 
had labored for a year past among the people of 
that settlement. But the time for an extra effort 
seemed to have come, and Dr. Cote (whose Life 
precedes this sketch) was called to undertake the 
task. He went to preach the gospel to the dwellers 
in those woods, whose lives were very profligate. 
He was accompanied by Mr. Beaudin. They were 
two days, says Mr. Roussy, in reaching the school- 
house, a distance which, in the winter, can be 
walked in three hours. The autumn rains had 
rendered the paths through these woods so difficult, 
that nothing but the zeal of our brethren could 
have surmounted the obstacles in their way. 
Though exhausted with fatigue on their arrival, 
they made no delay in applying themselves with 
vigor to their work. After kindling a fire, they 
cut down a tree to serve at once for a table, and 



116 HISTORY OF THE 

seats for their audience ; put up a temporary bed in 
one corner of their school-room; and commenced 
their protracted meeting. For the first few days 
there were no visible effects, though they held two 
meetings daily. All the people, men, women, and 
even small children, readily assembled; no one 
remained at home. The intervals between the 
meetings were employed in reconciling quarrels; 
for these families, who had lived in continual strife 
and hatred towards each other, perceived the neces- 
sity of first harmonizing their differences, in order 
to obtain the blessing of Heaven. Our dear bro- 
ther Cote, who performed the office of peacemaker, 
had the pleasure of seeing them acknowledge their 
faults one to another, and interchange the language 
of forgiveness. On Sunday each one came to the 
meeting with feelings of penitence, and in expecta- 
tion of the Divine blessing. The exposition of the 
Scriptures was listened to with marked solemnity ; 
and when those who wished were invited to speak, a 
female, naturally timid and retiring, rose and spoke 
of the wants of her soul, of the love of God, and of 
the duty of repentance, with such animation, free- 
dom and energy, that each one grew pale and 
trembled. After addressing them in most im- 
pressive language, she fell on her knees, and, 
weeping, poured out her heart in fervent prayer for 
herself and all present. The whole assembly melted 



GRANDE LIGNE MISSION. 117 

into tears ? and, believing that she spoke and prayed 
under the teachings of God's Spirit, bowed their 
knees and successively offered their earnest sup- 
plications to God for pardon. Our friends, Cote 
and Beaudin, were filled with sacred awe, and 
inexpressible emotions of gratitude, at the sight of 
this little company of Canadians humbled and 
weeping before the throne of the heavenly grace. 
This meeting, which continued almost until night, 
was followed by another in the evening ) which was 
still more blessed than the first. The text, " Come 
now and let us reason together, saith the Lord/' 
(Isa. i. 18,) was attended with power to their 
hearts ; the love of God subdued them ; tears flowed 
in abundance; and most of them, in anguish for 
their sins, cried, with the Publican, " God be mer- 
ciful to me a sinner ; ,J and with the Jailer, H What 
must I do to be saved V } How delightful was it to pre- 
sent to these souls, anxious for salvation, " the Lamb 
of God, which taketh away the sins of the world." 
They separated at a late hour; and many, in the 
deep distress of their hearts, spent the whole night 
wrestling, like Jacob, with the Lord until he had 
blessed them. And, God be praised, he was found 
of many, who came in the morning with lively joy 
to declare the boundless grace which they had 
experienced. 

" This happy Sabbath was the commencement of 



118 HISTORY OF THE 

a happy week, devoted to the reading of the Word 
of God, to prayer and to praise. No one could 
apply himself to any work, for the Spirit of the 
Lord visited these cabins. Every day some soul 
was relieved of the burden of sin by trusting in 
Christ. Twenty-five persons, as we hope, obtained 
pardon and peace at this time, making, with the 
first converts, the number of twenty-nine worshipers 
and followers of Christ in this forest. Among the 
converts were some who had been exceedingly 
abandoned, and capable of any atrocities ; and who, 
at the commencement of the meetings, offered gross 
insults to our brother Beaudin, but whom he had 
disarmed and conquered by patience and forbearance. 
One of them hated him so violently, that he had 
resolved to beat him in such a manner that he 
should have no wish to return to these woods ; but 
not daring to do it in cold blood, he followed him, 
with insults, for the purpose of provoking him to 
say or do something which might excite his anger, 
and make it easy to execute his design. But as he 
only replied to him in mild language, or kept silent, 
he was, at every attempt, entirely defeated. His 
wife, who was one of the first to embrace the gospel, 
urged him to listen to reading and change his 
course ; but, wearied with the repetition of a sub- 
ject which he detested, and vexed because his wife 
had become a Christian, he determined to abandon 



GRANDE LIGNE MISSION. 119 

his family and depart to the States, that he might 
shun these annoyances. He had not proceeded 
two leagues when, stricken in conscience, he re- 
traced his steps, came and acknowledged his sins, 
and besought them to pray for him. In a few days 
after, he found joy and peace in believing." 

VII. 

A Mission House was built at St. Pie and a log 
school-house at Berea in 1842, which were both 
consecrated to God on the 25th of December of the 
same year. We extract from a letter sent by Mr. 
lioussy to the Secretary of the Evangelical Society, 
of New York the following interesting account of 
these services. 

" We made our arrangements," says Mr. E., " to go 
and consecrate the house for a school and for wor- 
ship, at St. Pie, and also that at Milton, (Berea.) 
We v went as a family-party, leaving at Grande- 
Ligne only a sufficient number to take care of the 
house. Christmas day had been appointed for the 
meeting, and at an early hour one hundred Cana- 
dians and twenty English, with their pastor, had 
assembled to meet us. 

It was with ardent Christian feeling that we 
entered upon the occupation of this u house of 
prayer," in the name of our eternal God — Father, 
Son, and Spirit; entreating Ilini to consecrate it, 



120 HISTORY OF THE 

and make it a centre of heat and light for this 
country. Our hearts were moved ; and with lively 
emotion we returned thanks to God for all that he 
has done for us in so short a time. It would have 
delighted us if you, dear brother, and a goodly 
number of our American and Swiss friends could have 
been present with us. They who have labored and 
prayed so earnestly for our poor Canadians, would 
have felt grateful, and encouraged to still further 
efforts, by seeing them gathered at the feet of Jesus 
to receive his word; an attentive group of those 
who, but a year and a half since, were buried in the 
darkness of superstition. We held three meetings 
on the Sabbath, and two on Monday, and God 
granted to us delightful evidences of his presence. 
After the exposition of the Scriptures at the evening 
service, a free invitation to speak was given to those 
present; and successively fifteen individuals of 
every age and condition addressed us in words 
which thrilled our hearts with lively joy. Here 
was a man asking u What must I do to be saved Y* 
There, one beseeching us to pray for him, that 
God would convert and save him. Another ex- 
horted his brethren, recently converted, to grati- 
tude and holiness of life. A fourth, related to us 
what sweet peace of soul he had enjoyed since he 
gave his heart to God. At last, a father of a family 
and his wife who had once listened to the gospel, 



GRANDE LIGNE MISSION. 121 

but for several months had neglected it, came, 
bathed in tears, entreating us to receive them as 
prodigals ; asking pardon from God for the evil they 
had done to his church ; pardon from the children 
of God for having so deeply grieved them ; pardon 
from the unconverted, for the occasion of reproach 
they had given to them. Oh, how delightful was 
that evening ! What heavenly language flowed 
from the lips of all ! The Spirit hovered over us, 
and we blessed the love of God toward these poor 
sinners. Those who knew the Saviour, wished to 
fly to his arms, to be purified wholly, and to enjoy 
his presence eternally. How holy was the place ! 
It was truly the house of God — the gate of Heaven. 
On Tuesday morning, ten sleighs, carrying forty 
persons, all animated with joy and peace, started 
for Berea, where we were received with acclama- 
tions of delight and gratitude. Never before have 
those woods had so many visiters. All was life and 
animation. Our dear Bereans came to us rejoicing, 
to describe to us their happiness in the wonderful 
grace of God towards them. More than eighty were 
present, and we had two meetings, one at evening and 
the other on Wednesday morning, at which we were 
blessed with the same favor that the Lord had be- 
stowed on this place several weeks previous, when he 
consecrated it to himself, filling it with his presence. 
It was a thanksgiving, rather than a dedication. It 
11 



122 HISTORY OF THE 

was edifying to us to hear many of these new dis- 
ciples, aged men and women, express, in their 
Canadian dialect, the sentiments of their hearts. 
Each spoke with emotion of the love of Jesus who 
had arrested them in their career of folly and ruin, 
and plucked them as brands from the flames. The 
intelligence, piety, knowledge of the Scriptures and 
of the way of salvation, which many manifested, 
surprised us all. Evidently the Spirit of Christ 
had instructed them, and what teacher can instruct 
.like him?" 

VIII. 

It was evident that St. Pie would become an 
important station, and it was exceedingly desirable 
that a preacher should occupy it. Dr. Cote 
was chosen for this post. 

A residence of two years at Chazy, where he 
had labored as a missionary, had prepared him for 
more extensive engagements and greater usefulness. 
He removed to St. Pie in October, 1843, and 
entered on a course of diligent labor, which was 
abundantly blessed. 

A violent persecution had arisen a little before 
against the converts of this place, of which a brief 
account must here be given. 

For some time the priests of that neighborhood 
had been actively engaged in exciting the enmity 



GRANDE LIGNE MISSION. 123 

of their people against the protcstant Christians. 
The priest of St. Pie especially had manifested, at 
intervals, much ardor in representing them aa 
hypocrites, seducers, and people sold to wickedness. 
Finally, excited more and more, the villagers deter- 
mined to set themselves against the Protestants. 
They availed themselves for this purpose, of a little 
meeting held on the evening of Sunday, the 27th 
of August. Messrs. Houssy and Cote, who were pre- 
sent, heard that the Komanists intended to come 
and give them a charivari* Very soon, a number 
of young persons assembled before the house, and 
commenced making their horrible noise, to the great 
satisfaction of the crowd whom they drew around 
them. "We went out," says Mr. Eoussy, "to 
speak to them, and they replied to us by a shower 
of stones. This was the beginning of charivaries 
and of violent scenes, which lasted fourteen days 
and which terminated with burning the house of 
one of our brethren/ ' 

They appealed to the protection of the law, and 
the guilty were so punished as not to renew their 
outrages, and at the same time to see that the Pro- 
testants, animated with the spirit of Christ, were 
ready to forgive, whilst they claimed the rights to 



* A serenade with horns, pans, and other discordant 
instruments. 



124 HISTORY OF THE 

which they were legally entitled. Dr. Cote's medical 
advice was asked for by some of the persecutors, 
and as it was readily and gratuitously granted, they 
were led to reflect on the happy influence of the 
Gospel, and to inquire after the truth. So that all 
contributed to the glory of God in the advancement 
of his blessed kingdom. 

A church was organized at St. Pie in 1844, and 
a call tendered to Dr. Cote, who accepted, and was 
ordained on the 30th of August of the same year. 
The Rev. Dr. Baird of New York, and the Rev. 
Messrs Wilkes and Tanner, of Montreal, with other 
ministers engaged in the exercises of the day. 

During these second five years of the Mission's 
operations, some thirty persons were brought to the 
knowledge of the Saviour under Dr. Cote's minis- 
trations at Chazy. By the blessing of God upon 
his labors at St. Pie many more were converted, so 
that upwards of one hundred persons, affording 
satisfactory proof of repentance towards God, and 
faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, were received into 
church-fellowship in that place ; and these numbers 
added to the converts at Grande-Ligne and its 
neighborhood, presented a total of about three 
hundred souls, rescued from ignorance and sin, and 
introduced into that kingdom which is " righteous- 
ness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." 



GRANDE LIGNE MISSION. 125 

IX. 

If we now glance at the last five years' success, 
from 1846 to 1851, we find that the missionaries 
and the supporters of the Mission have abundant 
reason to bless God, and feel encouraged. During 
that period about a hundred individuals have been 
hopefully converted to God, and added to the 
churches, in the different stations. New missiona- 
ries have entered the field, new instrumentalities 
have been used, so that a broader foundation for 
future usefulness has been laid, and an important 
preparatory work accomplished. 

In 1849, a new station was opened at St. Mary, 
a parish twenty miles east of Grande Ligne, where 
several individuals had manifested an interest in 
religion. Dr. Cote, who resigned his pastorate of 
the St. Pie church, in consequence of a collecting 
tour in the United States, was sent there after his 
return to Canada. 

He met at first with great opposition from the 
priests. It was carried so far, that one day some 
eighty individuals, at the head of whom was their 
pastor, actually came to destroy his house and 
drive him away ; but were prevented from making 
an attack by the earnest expostulations of the 
neighbors. Notwithstanding this, his efforts were 
much blessed. The congregation gradually inc reasc d, 
11* 



126 HISTORY OF THE 

and souls were converted. Fifteen families, mostly 
in good circumstances, left the Romish church 
to follow the Truth, as it is in Jesus. They united in 
building a large chapel, to the erection of which 
they have generously contributed. 

In June of the same year, Mr. N. Cyr, one of 
the fruits of the Mission, after graduating at the 
Theological School of Geneva, returned to Canada 
to engage in the Missionary work. And in Sep- 
tember the year following, Mr. T. Lafieur who 
had also gone to the same institution, joined his 
brethren and friends of the Grande Ligne Mission. 

The Mission had to record with sorrow about 
this time (October, 1850,) the death of one of its 
devoted laborers, Dr. Cote. He was called unex- 
pectedly to his reward, at a time when his services 
might have been so exceedingly useful at St. Mary. 
In bowing submissively to this mysterious dispen- 
sation of their heavenly Father, they were happy to 
see that his kind providence ha.d provided in Mr. 
Lafleiir a new laborer to fill up this vacancy. 

Mr. Lafieur was ordained to the ministry, March 
19, 1851. Mr. Cyr preached the sermon from Rom. 
x. 1-3. In expressing his pleasure at seeing his 
friend consecrate himself publicly to the service of 
the Lord, he made a touching allusion to the time 
of their conversion ; he called to mind that it was 
ten years since together they had left the Romish 



GRANDE LIGNE MISSION. 127 

Church, that it was together they had commenced 
the study of the Bible, and had offered to God their 
first prayer. Madame Feller says, "I was over- 
come with joy in seeing one, whom I had watched 
over as a pupil and loved as a son, enter this holy 
career." 

As a new token of the providing care of our 
Heavenly Father, they have welcomed Mr. Charles 
Roux, late student in Geneva, who joined the 
missionary band in July 1851. Mr. Roux was 
baptized in November. It was with mingled feel- 
ings of friendship, Christian lov^e, and gratitude, 
that Mr. Lafleur led into the water one with whom 
he had held sweet communion, with whom he had 
studied on another Continent, and in whom he now 
finds a fellow-laborer. 

Until 1850 the education of Canadian girls had 
been limited to a few, received at the Grande Ligne 
institution, which was mostly designed for the 
other sex. It was seen then that a separate school, 
and more systematic teaching was exceedingly 
desirable. It was consequently resolved that an 
institution of this kind should be established at St. 
Pie. This School was opened in the Fall under the 
superintendence of Mademoiselle Jonte, assisted 
by Miss Boardman, a young American lady, con- 
verted while studying French at Grande Ligne. 
This institution has been very successful, and one 



128 HISTORY OF THE 

year's trial warrants the belief that it is destined 
to do a good work. 

Mr. Tretreau, formerly a Roman priest, and now 
a preacher of the Gospel, besides assisting Mr. La- 
fleur in the work of evangelization at St. Pie and 
Salem, has the charge of the primary school of the 
former place. His superior qualifications will enable 
him to raise the standard of study in his school, 
and draw a large number of scholars. 

A new school, under the superintendence of the 
minister of St. Pie, will be opened at the u Ameri- 
ican Village/ ' two miles distant from the Mis- 
sionary Station. English Protestants have united 
with French Protestants to establish a school sepa- 
rate from the Catholics, in order to insure a 
Christian influence in the classes by the reading of 
the Scriptures. The schoolmaster is a pious- young 
man, formerly a pupil of the Grande Ligne Institute. 
Catholic parents have promised to send their chil- 
dren to our new school ; the Catholic one, they say, 
is worse than nothing. 

Mr. Eiendeau, whose labors as an evangelist have 
been blessed in Salem district, having been called 
to Grande Ligne in 1851 to help Mr. Normandeau 
in the educational department, Mr. Lafleur and 
Mr. Tetreau took charge of his place. It being de- 
cided in 1852, that Mr. Eiendeau should enter the 



GRANDE-LIGNE MISSION. 129 

University at Rochester, N. Y., Mr. Bost became 
his successor at the Grande Ligne. 

This department of oar missionary operations is 
now in a prosperous state, contributing its part to 
the advancement of the great work. At the 
Grande Ligne Institute, 26 pupils have pursued 
their studies under Rev. L: -Normandeau, the Prin- 
cipal, and Messrs. C. Roux and T. Riendeau, licen- 
tiates and teachers, and have made considerable 
progress. • Some of those boys and young men 
show a good deal of talent, and promise to be very 
useful in their respective callings. The number of 
scholars is now about 30. 

The Girls' School at St. Pie contains at present 
20 scholars, and is becoming more and more useful 
and interesting. 

Besides these two institutions, eight primary 
schools have been in operation during the past 
year, furnishing an instruction in the elementary 
branches of education, pervaded by the spirit of 
Christianity, to more than two hundred children. 

Mention must also be made of the Mission Press, 
established through the efforts of friends at the be- 
ginning of 1851, as its operations, though inde- 
pendent of the Mission, are carried on under its 
auspices, and are designed to cooperate in the same 
cause. A periodical was started under the title of 
Le Semcur Canadien } (The Canadian Sower,) 



130 HISTORY OF THE 

which has met already with considerable success, in 
spite of the opposition of the Romish clergy, who 
are doing all they can to prevent its circulation. 
Through this paper, and tracts and pamphlets issued 
at its office, we can reach a goodly number of 
French Canadians of the educated class, hitherto 
inaccessible to the teachings of the Gospel. In 
presence of the success attending this effort, and in 
view of the good to be done, the editor, Mr. Cyr, 
trusting to God, has decided to issue the Semeur 
weekly, and remove it to Montreal, where it is 
to be hoped, it will be still more productive of good. 
It goes already into more than a hundred different 
places, and is read by at least five hundred French 
Canadians of the educated class. Our aim is to 
introduce it into all the parishes of Lower Canada, 
where French readers are to be found. It is the 
only Evangelical paper in the French language now 
printed on the Continent of North America. We 
have reason to believe that the Press, this great in- 
strumentality of modern times, will do its part, 
under the blessing of God, towards the evangeliza- 
tion of Canada. 

X. 

Madame Feller and Mr. Roussy came to Canada 
under the patronage of a Missionary Society in 
Switzerland, from which Society they continued for 



GRAND LIGNE MISSIOX. 131 

a time to receive occasional aid. During the years 
1837 and 1838 their operations were carried on 
under the auspices of the Canada Baptist Mission- 
ary Society; some assistance was also received from 
the United States and from Scotland. In the au- 
tumn of the last mentioned year their connexion 
with the Canada Baptist Missionary Society was 
dissolved, the missionaries being then of opinion 
that they could labor more efficiently if they were 
independent of all religious parties. They conti- 
nued to do so for nearly seven years, during which 
time they received numerous and valuable tokens of 
Christian regard from all denominations. The fos- 
tering care of the Foreign Evangelical Society ren- 
dered essential service to the cause. Pecuniary grants, 
varying from 550 to 1200 dollars, were received an- 
nually from that Society. Besides this, the patronage 
of the Society stimulated the zeal of Christians, 
and encouraged the formation of numerous Ladies' 
Associations, which raised considerable sums of 
money, and otherwise assisted the mission. Aid 
was also received from Switzerland, England, and 
Canada. The funds annually realized from all these 
sources gradually increased from 1,800 to. 5,000 
dollars, more than three-fourths of which were fur- 
nished by friends in the United States. 

In the autumn of 1845, proposals were made to 
enter into a more definite and more permanent 



132 HISTORY OE THE 

arrangement with the Foreign Evangelical Society. 
That arrangement was not found practicable. After 
much deliberation and prayer, the Missionaries came 
to the conclusion that their operations could no 
longer be conducted on the plan which had been 
pursued for several years past, and a re-union with 
the Canada Baptist Missionary Society was effected. 

The management of the affairs of the Mission 
was intrusted to a Committee, consisting of four 
members of the Committee of this Society, and 
four members belonging to Grand Ligne. 

The Canada Baptist Missionary Society proceeded 
to make such grants for the Mission, as its means 
allowed, and these grants, with contributions from 
American Baptists, secured by the annual visits of 
Madame Feller and Dr. Cote, and the continued bene- 
ficence of steadfast Pedobaptist friends, have from 
that time formed its, resources. But unhappily the 
Canada Baptist Missionary Society, notwithstanding 
the generous contributions of some of its members, 
became unable in 1848, from a variety of causes, 
to render the usual assistance to the Mission. 

It was then thought that the American Baptist 
Home Mission Society, whose seat of operations is 
in New York, would be the means that God designed 
to employ to support the Grande Ligne Mission. 
But the Constitution of this society did not per- 
mit its Committee to embrace the entire work. All 



GRAND LIGNE MISSION. 133 

it could do was to grant salaries to the ministers 
and licentiates, an aid which was received with gra- 
titude, and that covers about a third of all the ex- 
penses. For the other branches of the work, that 
is, for the Institution of Grande Ligne, the Girls' 
School at St. Pie, the Primary Schools and the Col- 
porteurs, the Mission is dependent upon the libe- 
rality of those Christians who take an interest in 
the spiritual welfare of this benighted country. 

CONCLUSION. 

Such is the Grande Ligne Mission enterprise* 
such its origin, its progress ; such the blessings that 
have rested upon it. In the short period of fifteen 
years it has been instrumental in bringing to the 
knowledge of the Redeemer some four hundred 
French Canadians — a result the more cheering and 
encouraging as the mass of this people had been for 
two centuries in ignorance, superstition and dark- 
ness. Even in their agricultural operations there 
was not thought and enterprise enough among them 
to induce the adoption of the most obvious and 
easy improvements : — ancient and slovenly modes of 
husbandry, old and inconvenient implements were 
pertinaciously retained. Education was entirely 
neglected, so that in large districts of country, but 
here and there a solitary individual among the 
" hahitans" (farmers,) was able even to read. 
12 



184 HISTORY OF THE 

But this state of things has begun to pass away. 
In regard to agriculture, education, enterprise and 
free inquiry, great changes for the best have taken 
place, and will be favorable under the blessing of 
God to the advancement of his cause. Light has 
dawned upon this benighted land, and Christians 
can confidently hope that the fruits already ga- 
thered are only the earnest of a great harvest. 

Now embracing a field of 2750 square miles, the 
Grande Ligne Mission enterprise is arduous and 
important; involving solemn responsibilities; re- 
quiring great faith; often calling into exercise 
qualities seemingly incompatible — simplicity and 
prudence — affection and firmness — calm considera- 
tion and ardent zeal ; and withal so conducted and 
controlled, in the wisdom of God,- as that, while 
extraordinary success has accompanied the endea- 
vors of his servants, for which they cannot be suffi- 
ciently grateful, they have been continually re- 
minded of their absolute dependence on his provi- 
dence and grace, and taught, not without painful 
experience, that it is God who " worketh all in all." 

The providence of God has thus opened a wide 
and effectual door in Canada, and He calls upon his 
children to exert themselves more and more to 
spread the truth and cause the light to shine. 

The French population in Lower Canada is now 
about 700,000, and they are all Catholics except 



GRANDE EIGNE MISSION. 135 

those that have been brought to the knowledge of 
the Gospel within fifteen years. Education is be- 
ginning to be prized, and reading to become a 
habit, among them. Where one newspaper was 
taken fifteen years ago, there are now more than 
ten. It is an encouraging sign. 

Until two or three years ago the whole French 
Canadian Press was devoted more or less to the Ro- 
man Catholic clergy. Now two papers boldly op- 
pose the clergy, and tell them some of the hardest 
truths. The editors, like Dr. Cote formerly, have 
become disgusted with Popery, and yet are in dan- 
ger of confounding it with Christianity. Happily, 
such men can now be reached by means of the 
evangelical little weekly sheet, called Le Semeur 
Canadien, or the Canadian Sower. 

In casting a glance upon what has been accom- 
plished in our missionary field during the past year, 
we feel compelled to pour forth our gratitude before 
the throne of our great Head, thanking him for the 
success granted to his feeble instruments. 

Behold, a church under construction at St. Mary ; 
the house at St. Pie enlarged sufficiently to accom- 
modate twenty pupils ; a Society formed at Grande 
Ligne for the purpose of sustaining the Mission ; 
nineteen persons baptized and united with the 
churches in the different stations ; a number of 
Romish families brought under the influence of the 



136 HISTORY OF THE 

Truth ; a new field open at G-ranb y, and promising to 
be fertile ; the establishment of a religious paper in 
the French language which disseminates the Truth 
among the higher classes of Canadian society ; these 
are visible effects of the blessing that God has 
poured out upon the Grande Ligne Mission. 

Yes, God blesses our field, and he will continue 
to bless it. Many doors are opened ; the influence 
of the priests diminishes rapidly; they are daily 
losing ground, and beating a retreat; numerous 
appeals come to us from divers places, but our fee- 
ble band is already overworked. Even now we 
need six more ministers, and a greater number of 
colporteurs. The harvest is great and ripe, but 
there are few laborers; let us then pray the Lord 
of the harvest to send us more, and to sustain with 
his Spirit from on high those who are already en- 
gaged in the blessed work. 

Among the signal benefits of our God, the past 
year, we would not fail to acknowledge the warm 
sympathy that he has excited for us in the hearts 
of many of his children; a sympathy which has 
not alone consisted in words but in deeds. After 
having thanked God, who has inspired such senti- 
ments, it is to us an agreeable duty to thank them 
cordially for their generous aid. We beg the Ame- 
rican Baptist Home Mission Society, we beg the 
Ladies' Societies formed in aid of the Grande Ligne 



GRANDE LIGNE MISSION. 137 

Mission, we beg all those Christians who have con- 
tributed to the support of the Mission to accept the 
most sincere assurance of our gratitude. 

In April, 1852, Madame Feller writes: — "You 
will learn with pleasure that we are blessed in our 
work, more than we have been. The good and 
powerful hand of our God is ever busy in preparing 
new ways and opening new doors, where the happy 
missionaries may penetrate with the Gospel." In 
July she gratefully announced that the Mission was 
free from debt. At the same time the Mission was 
strengthened by the arrival of Mr. J. Laborde, a 
colporteur from France, driven thence by the revi- 
ving influence of the Jesuits in the government of 
that unhappy country. Mr. L. seems to combine 
strength of purpose, with simplicity and piety. 
Thus by destroying religious liberty Louis Napo- 
leon, without knowing or desiring it, contributes to 
the evangelization of Canada. 

The influence of Truth is more and more felt ; it is 
communicated from relatives to relatives, from friends 
to friends, and is becoming the general subject of 
conversation — particularly at St. Mary's, where the 
new and beautiful chapel has been advancing to 
completion. It was recently opened for public 
worship, under interesting circumstances. A new 
field of usefulness, also, has just boon added at St. 
Isidore, 40 miles west of Grande Ligne. 



138 GRANDE LIGNE MISSION. 

Let the Preacher, the Teacher, the Colporteur, 
and the Evangelical Press be sustained, and, with 
God's favor, Canada East will be enlightened, ele- 
vated, and in due time enjoy all the various bless- 
ings of true religion. The wilderness and the soli- 
tary place shall he glad for them, and the desert 
shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. 



APPENDIX. 



DEDICATION OF THE PROTESTANT 
CHAPEL AT ST. MARY. 

On the twenty-second day of September, 1852, 
we dedicated to the service of God the first build- 
ing in our Mission exclusively devoted to public 
religious meetings. It appeared to us as a new era 
in the history of our Mission, for although we have 
other places of worship that we call chapels, they 
are but large rooms in our missionary houses set 
apart for schools, as well as for public religious 
meetings. The weather was not very favorable for 
the occasion, it being a cold and showery day, and 
the roads not inviting either; still we had the 
greatest gathering of French Canadian Protestants 
we have had since the beginning of the mission. 
We could not but compare this dedication with 
that of the Grancle-Ligne Mission House, and bless 
and adore our divine Redeemer for the almost in- 
credible transformation wrought among us, during 

139 



140 APPENDIX. 

the lapse of twelve years. Twelve years ago the 
G-rande-Ligne Chapel was filled chiefly by our 
English and Anglo-American friends, who were 
hailing with joy the opening of a new field, full 
of promise ; to-day a much larger chapel is filled 
mainly "by French Canadians, who have been 
brought to the knowledge of the Gospel and of 
Jesus by the labors of the missionaries. Then the 
gathering of our friends from abroad and of an- 
other language, rather strengthened the idea held 
among the Roman Catholics, that the religion 
preached by the missionaries was a foreign reli- 
gion, good enough perhaps for English people, but 
altogether useless and pernicious to the French; 
but now they must be convinced that Protestantism 
has become a French Canadian thing ; for it has 
taken root in the midst of an entirely French popu- 
lation, and has already ramifications in an immense 
number of families. Twelve years ago, the minis- 
ters who filled the pulpit and addressed the people 
on the occasion were all, without exception, of 
foreign origin, and only two or three of them 
speaking the French language ; to-day, of the six 
ministers present, five tf them were missionaries 
in the field speaking the French language, and 
three of the last named were French Canadians by 
birth and education. One of them formerly a 
priest in the Roman Catholic church of his coun- 



APPENDIX. 141 

try. The two others were present, it is true, at 
the first dedication at Grande-Ligne, but more 
from curiosity than any thing else ; for on their 
return home after the services of the day, they 
strengthened each other in their religious views, 
by saying that after all the Roman Catholic reli- 
gion was the first religion, and consequently the 
best. But God in his own good time showed them 
by a never to be forgotten experience where the 
better religion was found. There was on this day 
of dedication, " a joy unspeakable and full of glory" 
in many hearts, at the remembrance of God's deal- 
ings towards us. 

Three services were held on the same day. At 
the two first, the house was quite full, making an 
audience of about three hundred persons. The 
dedication sermon was preached in the morning 
by Rev. L. Normandeau from the words of the 
inscription on the front of the chapel : " Preach the 
Gospel to all nations." The discourse was very 
appropriate and very impressive, especially when 
recalling what the first missionary in this field 
had to encounter and to suffer, when he began to 
preach the Gospel to the French Canadian popula- 
tion, which, although nominally Christian, was a 
stranger to the Good News of a free redemption 
by the sacrifice of Christ. And to call a new 
nation to the kingdom of God, our beloved brother 



142 APPENDIX. 

had chosen Canada as the place where to obey the 
command of his Master. What subject of encou- 
ragement and gratitude for him who is to fill this 
new pulpit, among those who call themselves his 
children ! In the evening, another discourse was 
preached by the Rev. T. Lafieur on the words of 
Christ to Peter : " Thou art Peter, and upon this 
rock I will build my church." A great number 
of Roman Catholics had been invited to attend the 
meetings, and although desirous to come and see, 
and even having promised to do so, but a small 
number was present. The priest had exerted him- 
self enough to prevent them, by saying that such 
curiosity would not be guiltless. 

The building is of brick, 52 feet in length by 
36 in width, with a steeple not yet finished. It 
is very neat, simple and pretty. Pleasantly situ- 
ated on a fine piece of meadow given by a French 
Canadian convert for church and grave yard. The 
whole is surrounded by beautiful elm trees, and the 
back part of the lot is separated from the neigh- 
bors by a small brook bordered by small bushes. 
The chapel is the last house of the village towardc 
the south, and the view from the front is very 
pleasing as it rests on three or four surround- 
ing mountains, or rather hills, isolated in a flat 
country. 

Although very happy to see that the house was 



APPENDIX. 143 

filled mostly by French Canadian converts, we 
were sorry that a greater number of our American 
Christian friends were not present to convince 
themselves that their prayers had been answered, 
and their donations sown in fertile soil. We 
hope that they will feel as much encouraged in 
this blessed work as we are ourselves ; that they 
will continue to help us to build the church of 
Christ in this benighted land, and before long we 
shall speak to them again of other chapels erected 
to preach the Gospel without tradition, of houses 
that are for many the door of heaven. New fields 
are white and open before us; they require the 
efforts of the missionary, and the liberality of the 
Christian. May our Lord himself grant us his 
Spirit, that we may gather together new and im- 
mortal materials for his church and for our eternal 
happiness. — Grande-Ligne Mission Register, Oct. 
1852. 

A YOUNG MAN LED TO THE BIBLE. 

An intelligent young man called one day on one 
of the missionaries, asking for a religious book he 
had seen and wished much to read. The mission- 
ary had not then the work desired, but he promised 
to procure it for him, and off< r< 1 him in the mean- 
time other publications which he thought might be 



144 APPENDIX. 

interesting to him. The young man took " Baxter's 
Call/' half a dozen of tracts, along with a few num- 
bers of the French religious periodical, Le Serneur 
CUnadien. 

A week or two after, he called again, and said he 
had been much pleased with the publications, and 
now he wanted to purchase the Bible. Haying met 
with many quotations from this blessed volume, he 
was desirous of possessing it. The missionary was 
very happy to see that the reading of the books and 
periodical had awakened such a desire in his heart, 
and sold him a copy of the Scriptures, praying the 
Father of lights to illuminate his soul. His prayer 
has been answered ; in a visit paid to him lately, 
he found him in the most happy state of mind. He 
appears to read the Word of God with a true desire 
of knowing the way of life, and it is evident that 
the Holy Spirit is acting upon his heart. He is 
very near the kingdom of God. 

As his version of the Bible is a Catholic one, his 
wife reads it with interest, and the light is also 
beaming upon her soul. One of his neighbors is 
also reading his books, and finds them very good. 

This is the more interesting, as the place in which 
they live is most entirely inhabited by Roman 
Catholics, and has been hitherto inaccessible to 
the Gospel. — Ibid. 

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